The new bug: A thief/hacker can delete the user data for Google Wallet on the device, set up a new account complete with new pin, and then select an option to use a previously used/saved pre-paid card.

Bug #2 was found by TheSmartphoneChamp team and have backed it up with video proof. We’d try it ourselves but we don’t have a Google Wallet capable device. That said, the same way to protect yourself in this instance (similar to the first security scare from earlier this week) is to put either a password or lockscreen pattern on your phone. It might be inconvenient for you now, but we’re fairly certain having to deal with stolen money/personal information will be a much bigger pain in your ass should your phone get snatched.

Another gem: customization (by Motorola) is also cited as a reason for update slowdowns. Our response is the same as it was to the “too much hardware” comment — get rid of it. The empty UI skins that manufacturers slap on top of Android add zero value. Let us stress that skins and manufacturer apps are two different things. The former is a waste of everyone’s time while the latter are generally pretty lackluster too, though do offer up some added functionality here and there.

Further casting doubt on the legitimacy of Wyatt’s response is the fact that individual Android developers whom have far less time, money, or living bodies to devout to updating hardware manage to get it down far faster. Why a company as large as Moto (or HTC, Samsung and LG) can’t have this stuff handled in a more timely manner is a conundrum that might have even stumped Einstein himself.

Motorola is calling out the very things they do as problems getting in the way of speedier Android updates yet they continually shoot themselves in the foot. How do these people get hired?

For those looking for a bit more, Engadget has a photo of a phone that is supposedly the Optimus Vu in the flesh. Thoughts?

Today, it gets better. Google has officially unveiled Chrome for Android, a more portable version of its desktop counterpart but with some interesting and useful finger friendly features tossed in.

After the break you’ll see a quick video showing off Chrome for Android’s new user interface as well as unique tab management and navigation. Nifty navigation/tab features aside, the underlying guts of Chrome for Android is better than the old stock browser, too. For starters, now that Chrome for Android is built off of the same open source Chromium project, updates should be (in theory) faster and easier for Google to push out as it allows the entire mobile-desktop browser landscape follow a much closer path.

Also, while Google has focused more on UI presentation and “natural” feeling throughout, the browser itself is a wee bit faster than the outgoing version. Finally, we’re stoked to see the ability to sign into Chrome for Android and have it automatically open up the tabs you’ve left open on your desktop version of Chrome, perfect for continuing your web browsing on the go.

Hop past the break for a quick video, screenshots and the download link (Android 4.0 required)!

Download

• Chrome for Android (Beta)

Video

Gallery

Instagram for Android is the latest to suffer from pre-release release. The screenshot above was captured by an AndroidGuys reader and shows the Android Market’s “Featured App” as the currently unreleased Instagram for Android. Clicking on the link by said reader resulted in a failed journey into awesomeness (read: the link was broken). Still, despite leaving the Android Market empty handed, the person who caught the image above (as well as the rest of us) shouldn’t have to wait too much longer. Details around Instagram for Android have been constantly bantered back and forth in the online world.

Keep waiting everyone. It’s almost here.

Florian Mueller from FOSS Patents believes the new injunction is actually the result of a case that took place back in November of 2011, and is coincidence that the new lawsuit(s) and their outcomes are being announced at the same time iPhones and iPads are disappearing from Apple’s German online store.

Motorola is now deciding on whether or not to enforce a patent on high-end, highly advanced pieces of mobile gadgetry (iPhones/iPads) with a patent that pertains to pagers and push services like email. Yes. Fucking pagers from the dawn of the mobile industry. The fact that a company (regardless of who it is) can stop another company with a patent, that by this time should have been invalidated/rendered a museum artifact, is mind boggling and troubling to me. Even more disturbing: Motorola is looking to use the same patent(s) in question to sue Apple in U.S. court, too.

In order for Apple to comply, they’ll have to either (1) license motorola’s pager technology or (2) remove the feature in question. So Germans will have to either get non-push iCloud email or Apple will have to figure out another way to push email to devices — all stuff that should be common IP not “owned” by anyone at this point.

Innovation around the world isn’t being hampered by copying between companies/people. It’s being hampered by useless and unnecessary lawsuits that do nothing but fund IP lawyers’ fancy houses and extreme vacations while the rest of us suffer.

This has got to stop.

Update

The same German court that issued the injunction be enforced beginning this morning has pulled it (for now). If they haven’t already, expect Apple’s online German store to once again see iPhones and iPads available for order and shipment.

Today, Rhapsody released their new 2.2.2.380 update to their popular Android app, with the most important addition being a new UI for tablets. Quite simply, Rhapsody did a pretty awesome job. The tablet UI for the updated Android app is better than many of the other tablet specific UIs we’ve seen on Android apps. The only kicker — it’s only for tablets 9″ and bigger and only available on Android 3.0 and up. Considering how hard Android manufacturers have touted their 7-9″ tablets over Apple’s iPad as a prime example of “choice” over the last year and a half, we find it pretty shortsighted and a bit ridiculous on Rhapsody’s part to cut off this sector of the market. Then again, the 7-9″ tablet space has been pretty reliant on ancient builds of Android 2.x. But alas, it is what it is. Here’s to hoping Rhapsody has a change of heart and gets the smaller tablets into the party, too.

Get the new update right over here: Downlaod – Rhapsody 2.2.2.380 (Android Market link)

Another screenshot after the break.

Via
]]> http://gadgetsteria.com/2012/02/02/new-rhapsody-update-brings-new-tablet-ui/feed/ 0 http://gadgetsteria.com/2012/01/31/android-4-0-ics-rom-for-sprint-nexus-s-4g-leaks-removed-and-shared/ http://gadgetsteria.com/2012/01/31/android-4-0-ics-rom-for-sprint-nexus-s-4g-leaks-removed-and-shared/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:12:32 +0000 Mike Norris http://gadgetsteria.com/?p=75852
We love it when big tech companies screw up and release software/hardware early. Today’s tech gaff leaving many Android users very happy is brought to us compliments of Sprint. It seems someone had a small case of itchy clicky fingers and posted the Nexus S 4G’s upcoming Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM online. Sadly, it was quickly removed, though not before an eagle-eyed XDA member snagged it and subsequently re-shared it with the rest of the internet.

While we’re not yet certain if this Android 4.0.4 (yes, 0.4) build #IMM26 is the actual final to be released copy or not, it’s a lot better than the 2.x crap many Nexus S 4G users are currently making due with.

If you happen to venture over to XDA and download the ROM in question, be sure to let us know how it goes. We love that kind of stuff.

The unofficial reveal is unlikely to please anyone at HTC. For us, however, it’s a nice chance to see the biggest changes to Sense UI since 1.x before they actually drop. And we like what we see. For starters, the cartoony bottom bar/launcher, icons, and color tones throughout have been released by a more modern, simple assortment of whites, grays and blacks. But it’s not too simple. One particular thing that we find pretty spiffy (and that you’ll see in the video after the break) is the animation for menus and lists; each section appears and disappears in a scrolling shade type of way. Kind of hard to describe, but easy to enjoy. In fact, we’d say Sense went from our increasingly least favorite skin — And we hate skins! — to our favorite.

As for the specs, we’re still looking at a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon, 1 gig of RAM, an 8 megapixel rear shooter (with 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera), a 4.3″ qHD (960 x 540) display, and a vast assortment of wireless technologies.

Hop past the break for a sneak peak at the HTC Ville and Sense UI 4.0. Be sure to let us know what you think!

Video

Gallery

Add to that the Galaxy Nexus hardware — it isn’t the highest end product on the market. But what it does have is a tight connection between hardware and software as well as an open channel to Google for future, unhindered updates. To the biggest Android enthusiasts, that is the best feature.

You could consider myself a late bloomer when it comes to the Galaxy Nexus. A series of unfortunate events and one massive tech trade show got in the way. But it’s here. I’m ready. Let’s get to it.

Because we’re so late in getting our Galaxy Nexus, a normal review would simply be pointless at this stage of the game. No one would read it. Instead, I’m going to give you a no bullshit assessment of the Android equivalent of the “Jesus Phone”.

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When specs for the Galaxy Nexus first leaked, the 4.65″ 1280 x 720 display stole the show. The dual-core processor, memory, general design and pretty much everything else paled in comparison to that magical resolution. And despite continuing controversy over the actual display tech used (tip: it’s PenTile), the fact of the matter is that until the most recent non-PenTile 720p displays, the Galaxy Nexus was as good as it got. Hell, even compared to the newest phones that have ditched PenTile displays, the Nexus is still a sight to behold.

Of course, the display is the GN’s greatest strength and weakness. I’m not shy in admitting that I have small hands, hands that find navigating across the vast expanses of the Galaxy Nexus’ gargantuan display a chore. Don’t get me wrong, movies, games, and other scenarios in which simply gazing at the display are warranted are amazing. Actually using it, for example, to write a post on the go, is a cluster fuck of shifting the phone up/down and back and forth to constantly hit the corners and everything in between. It’s seriously work to use the Galaxy Nexus as a workhorse device.

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The second and equally important feature — and one that is both loved/hated — is LTE. If you somehow haven’t managed to experience LTE yet, let us just tell you this: You’re missing out. It makes just above any and every web/data related task much more enjoyable while on the go. In many scenarios, too, you’ll find that your cellular LTE connection is faster than that of your house! How far we’ve come in just a few years.

But that same LTE we’ll praise day and night we’ll also curse. LTE technology as it currently stands is incredibly inefficient. We can’t begin to voice our displeasure with the Galaxy Nexus’ battery life. At 3-4 hours max of moderate to heavy usage with LTE on, it’s borderline useless for a legitimate work device on the road. There’s no guesswork as to whether or not you should bring a charger, spare battery, or small fission reactor. It’s a guaranteed fact you’ll need it.

And contrary to most of Android’s problems, Android manufacturers can’t really do anything about it — yet. You see, the LTE hardware we’ve come to depend on in all of the current LTE phones is in its early years. As hardware like this matures, it shrinks in size which in turn reduces power requirements and, bonus, increases performance. Later this year a new generation of LTE chips are supposed to hit the market meaning (in theory) that the next big batch of LTE devices should not only run longer but faster too!

After playing with the Galaxy Nexus for the last week, we can’t welcome next-gen LTE hardware soon enough. A smartphone/computer in your pocket is only good when it’s actually working. When you’re on the go away from power sources, 3-4 hours isn’t much to work with at all.

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Android 4.0 is a new breed of awesome. While the look won’t cater to everyone (sadly carriers will keep Android 4.0′s beauty from most eyes), we’re pretty impressed by what Google did in blending Android 3.x and 2.x UIs. Everything is a lot more fluid. At first we’d attribute it to the GN’s speedy 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and gig of RAM. But such hardware muscle has so far proven ineffective on Android 2.x handsets. A similarly powerful device, the HTC Rezound, is pretty laggy. Everywhere. Dragging down the notification bar, scrolling through lists of data, and *insert anything else here*. Clearly Google has optimized Android 4.0.

I really can’t say how much I’m liking Android 4.0 and how excited I am for the future of Android. It’s been a rough ride, and frankly I’d pretty much written off Android. And while I’m this close to actually wanting an Android handset again, the sheer awesomeness of the Galaxy Nexus/Android 4.0 has rekindled a big issue I have with the platform overall — apps. Specifically, how terrible they are. Seriously. I’m sailing through the menus and screens of core apps/service in Android 4.0 not givin’ a fuck, loving the world, and then all of a sudden I get drop kicked in the gut upon opening a 3rd party app. “But it must be a small developer’s beginner app, right?”. Wrong. I’m talking about Twitter (stock and most 3rd party), Facebook, and a slew of other big name companies. They’re god awful. Coming from multiple years on iOS and a good long stint with a few Windows Phone 7 review devices, it literally pains me to have to use Android if I have to leave the stock ecosystem Google has (somewhat) neatly laid out.

Sadly, not much can be done in the short term. It’s the nature of the beast; being open means that anyone can propose a great idea or app. Unfortunately, many of them need to go back in the oven. For months. Of course, hardware manufacturers don’t make it any better. In their effort to “differentiate” from other competitors they constantly try to one-up each other in the slightest ways. One phone will have a 1.2 GHz processor, with another at 1.4 GHz and another higher still at 1.5 GHz. Besides the CPU clock speed and the obvious differences in physical design (which themselves aren’t all that different these days), most high-end Android phones are the same.

Look at the current crop of heavy hitters: LG Spectrum, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy SII, Droid RAZR MAXX, Droid Bionic, HTC Rezound. If you take a gander at the spec sheets, they’re all pretty much the same exact phone. Yeah, the Rezound and Galaxy Nexus have 720p displays and the MAXX has a gigantor battery. More importantly (and that’s a negative) are the software differences, the skins that pollute all of these potentially great devices.

You’ve no doubt heard Android purists complain about the skins from various manufacturers as unnecessary, resource hogs, and the cause for massive delays in updates (if they ever get them). Well, that’s because skins are all of that. Manufacturers think that they are software developers and UI designers. They’re not. They’re terrible at it. Seriously, LG, Motorola, HTC, Samsung, and everyone else. Just stop.

One could argue that that is what rooting is for. Similar to how iOS users jailbreak their iPhones for added functionality, Android users root their devices to get all kinds of extra control. The biggest reason to root, from what I’ve seen anyway, is to remove carrier skins/apps. But honestly, I shouldn’t have to go to such great lengths to not only remove the UI “enhancements” pushed on my by carriers/hardware manufacturers, but also improve general performance of the phone.

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It may seem like I’m rehashing the same rant that’s been said many times before. And I guess if you look at in a very general form, I am. But for me, the gap in native/3rd party quality content is exponentially more noticeable now that Google finally has their ducks in a row.

I’m not a developer and won’t pretend to know the process(es) for working on Android, or how hard it is/isn’t to cater to the vast array of Android devices. That said, I would like to ask them why Android apps in general are lesser quality either in appearance or performance. Is it a limit to Android at the system level or is it a limit with the development tools; something that Google simply isn’t giving you access to whether it be certain features or APIs?

I’ve met some very nice and downright awesome Android developers. They’re an enthusiastic and vibrant group of guys and gals. I can’t imagine the fault lies with all of you.

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So. The Galaxy Nexus. Should you buy it? It’s really quite simple. Do you want to use Android — not some piece of shit “experience” that a hardware manufacturer thinks you want, but the honest to god real Android? Get the Galaxy Nexus. If you want anything else or some borderline gimmicky hardware feature, get that phone.

(Alternate scenario: if you’d like a flagship Nexus device that gets more than ~6 hours of battery life, wait.)

Over the last week a couple of pictures of both the general timeline view and threaded DMs have been tweeted by the company’s @CarbonAndroid. And today, the team posted several more images, this time depicting the profile view.

What’s immediately clear after looking at the images is that Carbon for Android will be pretty unique when compared to all of the other Android Twitter clients currently available, and dare we say, much more polished. Now, if the Carbon team can push out a good looking and functional, smooth app, well, we’ll be happy as clams.

Check out the updated (complete) gallery of what’s been posted so far after the break…

Gallery

Image Source: LaptopMag

The current race in the smartphone world is two-sided. On one side of the coin you have handset manufacturers pushing the envelope in regards to screen size; just how big can they build a phone? On that same note, at which point does a “phone” transition to “tablet”. On the flip side, manufacturers are also hellbent on creating the thinnest phone possible and throwing out all common sense and functionality out the window. Finally, add in the plethora of battery sucking features such as high-res displays, LTE compatibility, and super high megapixel cameras and the state of smartphones has become a sad affair of locker room size comparisons.

I stumbled upon this article over at LaptopMag today and found myself pretty much disgusted. Handset manufacturers are not catering to customers in the slightest, and in fact, I’d argue they’re doing us a disservice. An average of 3-5 hours of battery life with moderate to somewhat heavy use is atrocious and inexcusable. The worst offender (as we’re discovering first hand) is the Galaxy Nexus. The battery life is seriously border line the worst we’ve even had on any device.

But as the Droid RAZR MAXX shows, there is hope. Motorola finally woke up and realized the sad state of the smartphone world, more specifically, the Android smartphone world. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Apple and Microsoft’s group of WP7 partners have been pumping out phones with good to awesome battery life. The answer, as Motorola has finally discovered, was there all along — slap a gigantic battery in a phone to combat the battery sucking features. Actual component size is constantly shrinking yet the battery size of most high-end devices has remained the same.

Why all Android manufacturers can’t put their weapons down and start some actual innovation in regards to smartphone runtime themselves (cross suing each other off the list too) is beyond me. Here’s to hoping Motorola has had their fill of locker room-esque boasting and manages to bring LG, Samsung, HTC, and everyone else with them. If they’ve managed to make Windows Phone 7 quite the battery sipper that it is — And Apple has managed to make iOS quite efficient even with dual-core processors as well — there’s no reason they can’t do the same with Android.

Even cooler than a simple logo change, however, are the “search tricks” (no, not those tricks) whereby typing a simple phrase into the search bar causes the browser to do something. The last time we encountered such a trick it was the nifty “do a barrel roll” phrase that caused the window to spin, but this latest trick is a bit more festive.

Typing “let it snow” in the Google search bar will reward you with slowly falling snow flakes across your browser window. It’s nothing big or meaningful, sure. But it’s still awesome that Google, despite their sheer size and endless supply for full plates still finds the time to add in nifty little browser tricks such as this.

Protip: Disable the instant search feature so you stay on the simpler search page, and in turn, see the effect a bit better.

Video

Source: Google (YouTube) | Via: GoogleAtAGlance (Twitter)