S Voice is Samsung’s entry into the fledgling “virtual assistant” market currently occupied by Siri, Evi, Speaktoit Assistant, Vlingo, and a handful of others. The Galaxy S III rom leaked earlier today, and while most of the stuff in it is broken and completely useless without the version of Touchwiz it’s meant to run on, S Voice is a perfect combination of being interesting AND working. So we’re going to take a look at it on my Galaxy Nexus, which is currently running vanilla (well, AOKP) 4.0.4.
S Voice is only meant to run on the GSIII’s Touchwiz build, so I expect lots of force closes.
Before we wrap another week of giveaway's here at ShopAndroid.com, we've got the final four items for this week which include the Case-Mate Tough Case for HTC One X, Arkon Sport Armband, Motorola Dual Port Universal Charger 750mA, and the Blueant Q2 Smart Bluetooth Headset.
Pick one of these featured accessories for your Android and leave it in the comments below. We'll select one person as the winner and announce them next week. Good luck!
Designed to offer two layers of protection for the HTC One X, the Case-Mate Tough Case is completely flexible and impact resistant. The first layer is a flexible silicone case that wraps around the One X leaving the screen, camera, headphone and charging ports exposed. Then comes the ABS plastic hard shell case which covers your device while in the silicone cover.
The long-awaited update to Ice Cream Sandwich often brings a few teething troubles with it, and such is the case with T-Mobile’s HTC Sensation 4G. After the scheduled Android 4.0 update yesterday, some users found that their HSPA+ (“4G”) data wasn’t working, much to their display. Luckily, TmoNews discovered an easy work-around: head into the settings menu, tap “Network”, then switch it to WCDMA/GSM Auto. You should see the little “4G” icon reappear when in a coverage area.
T-Mobile should fix the issue the next time they have a maintenance update. Of course, a slight interruption in wireless service isn’t the only troubling thing about the Sensation ICS update: T-Mobile is also ending its grace period when it comes to “unauthorized” tethering. Rooted users who skirt around T-Mobile’s official, paid tethering solution will be blocked if detected after upgrading their phones.
The only other phone on T-Mobile that’s confirmed to get an Ice Cream Sandwich update is the HTC Amaze 4G, which may have similar issues on both counts. (Samsung says they’ll update the Galaxy S III and Galaxy S Blaze 4G, but T-Mobile’s been silent thus far.) Of course for both phones there’s plenty of custom ROM options, if you’re not particularly attached to your warranty.
Late last year Mozilla announced that it'd be moving its Firefox browser to a native Android user interface, instead of using XUL, and it's been pushing nightly builds since November. Today, those builds have reached beta status and are available directly from Google Play. You'll get the same excellent Firefox browsing experience you've come to know and love, only with an even better UI, faster load times and better performance. And because it's now available in Google Play, updating will be easier than nightly builds. Hit the link below if you're ready to give it a shot.
Remember the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the HTC Sensation 4G that we told you about yesterday? Turns out that it does more than just bring ICS – it also kills free tethering.
Wait, what? T-Mobile had free tethering? Technically, no. But in reality, yes. Here’s how it used to work: T-Mobile offered a tethering service for around $15 per month. Somehow, though, there was a “technical limitation” that actually prevented them from charging for the service on Android devices (though Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T have never had a problem taking our money for the same thing). With the Ice Cream Sandwich update, however, they finally figured out how to pull the nail in that coffin, so users who want to continue using the tethering service will have to start actually paying for it post-update.
Available starting today is the all new Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10-inch tablet. Thanks to Samsung we’ve got it right here to put through the paces and check out the newly refined design and speaker grill placements. It appears Samsung is taking two approaches on tablets. One being a more budget-friendly Tab like the Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch and the 10 we have today, and then their top end will be the quad-core Galaxy Note 10.1 coming this summer. This new slate is clearly a media consumption device, and it works great. Read on for our full review.
The Tab 2 10-inch was rumored to be delayed in favor of a quad-core processor but that wasn’t the case. Instead Samsung has opted for a cheaper 1.0 GHz dual-core processor (not a Tegra 2 like the original Tab 10) but instead a Texas Instruments dual-core chip. Don’t worry though folks, it performs great and is being offered at a friendly price starting at $399 for the 16GB model. We’ll start with the hands-on and tour video below then dig into the details.
Hardware
With the new Tab 2 the hardware has seen a few design and internal changes but for the most part is very similar to the original Galaxy Tab 10 from Samsung last year. What you’ll get here is a different processor, an all aluminum design, better speaker placements and a lower price point. Like mentioned above, under the hood is a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and it comes with 16GB of internal storage. However Samsung did provide a micro-sd slot for additional storage. Then we have the usual 3 megapixel camera on the rear, and a 1.3 front for video chatting and self portraits.
Samsung has taken what they learned from the first 10-inch model, their recently released Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE, and the smaller Tab 7 and added everything into one. Gone is the cheap feeling plastic back and just like the 7.7 we have a brushed aluminum design. Then they’ve added the SD slot, and the Infrared port from the older 7-inch model for controlling your home theater or TV.
All of the controls are actually up top with nothing on either side of the slate. We have from left to right the power and wake button, volume up/down, micro-SD slot, Infrared eye, and the 3.5mm headphone jack. The front half has a dark grey shiny aluminum while the back keeps that brushed rugged and durable look. I’m actually a total fan of this latest model and it might be my favorite Galaxy Tab to date.
I’ve always hated the rear or bottom facing speakers on tablets, especially if there’s only one like the Transformer Prime. The new Galaxy Tab’s have been improved and offer a pair of front facing stereo speakers. The new Galaxy Tab 2 10-inch model we have here today by far has the best audio of any tablet I’ve tested to date. They are clear, crisp, and get extremely loud. Not only that but you don’t have to worry about your hand covering them up during use. This makes the tablet much easier to hold, gaming is loud and exciting, and streaming Netflix (which comes pre-installed) is better than ever.
The 10-inch screen is still only 1280 x 800 like most tablets available, and isn’t AMOLED but sure is bright, vivid, and seems to have similar viewing angles to most Samsung tablets. Their displays are never much of an issue anyways and always are good quality with Sammy. The lightweight aluminum also doesn’t add any weight over the first Tab 10, and it’s much lighter than the heavy quad-core ASUS Transformer Prime.
Software
Samsung has released these tablets with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the OS. With their own tablet-optimized version of TouchWiz over the top that offers impressive widgets, screenshot features with edit mode, and a new keyboard that is actually really nice to type on compared to the stock ICS tablet keyboard. The changes are lightweight and performance remains strong and usage is swift.
Like mentioned above, Samsung appears to be going for a cheaper consumption device here and will be targeting the high range with the 10-inch note. The Galaxy Tab 2 comes pre-loaded with tons of media apps such as Samsung Music Hub, Music Player, a custom video player, Netflix, a photo and video editor, as well as Peel smart remote to use the Infrared. Clearly this is all about consuming media with this WiFi tablet and so far I’ve done plenty of that. Playing games and watching movies is awesome with the improved speakers up front.
Performance
Being only a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor this is actually one of the lower spec’d devices released in the past 6 months in the dual-core category. With everything lately coming with 1.2 or 1.5 GHz dual-cores or higher at first we questioned Samsung’s choice. After using this for the past week I can safely say so far I don’t miss the speeds. Usage is solid, performance is great for movies, games like Grand Theft Auto III and more. Sadly we can’t access those TegraZone THD games because they’ve moved from NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 to a Texas Instruments processor, but most games are still available in the Google Play Store.
Obviously you can see where she lies in regards to benchmark tests such as AnTuTu. With many devices including the quad-core ASUS Transformer Prime blowing past its results, but that was sort of expected. Only scoring 3000 in Quadrant this is hardly an improvement over the original, more of an additional option for those in the market. Needless to say, from my video above you can clearly see performance is still stellar even though benchmark results are low. For $399 this tablet rocks.
Camera and Battery life
With the new Tab 2 the camera isn’t anything great, just like all of Samsung’s tablets. I guess they don’t see a need to offer a better camera and the Tab 2 comes with the same 3.2 megapixel camera all the others have. Their smartphones have excellent cameras but tablets are another story. I’d hardly consider this a con though, as I rarely if ever take pictures with my tablet. Below is a few pictures for those curious on the performance. As long as you have enough light it will take a few pictures with ease that are worthy of Facebook and the likes.
Battery life however is pretty awesome. Samsung’s equipped this slate with a 7,100 mAh battery and I’ve manged to get nearly 3 days of casual usage from a single charge. While usage will vary from user to user this is on par if not better than most tablets on the market — as long as you don’t watch Netflix for 6 hours a day.
Wrap-Up
From the media apps and widgets, Netflix, Peel Smart Remote and more it’s clear that this tablet is made to play and enjoy media. Offering hardly any difference over the original other than mainly the speakers and Ice Cream Sandwich coming stock — this tablet is about the same. I’d say I was disappointed with how similar they are but I’m not. For the price they’ll be asking ($399) this is an great tablet experience. The hardware is excellent, build quality is top notch and creak free, and it comes with the latest Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.
If you were wanting or expecting a powerhouse Ice Cream Sandwich tablet or gaming machine the Galaxy Note 10.1 will be their flagship quad-core tablet once it’s made available later this summer. If you don’t want to wait, for the price point your options are this tablet or the Transformer Pad TF300. It does offer a quad-core processor but it’s not as premium feeling, has a plastic design, and isn’t as thin and beautiful. If you want the work horse the TF300 is for you, if you’d like a thin and awesome overall experience the new Galaxy Tab 2 10-inch from Samsung is worth a look.
Feel free to ask any questions in the comment section below and check out all of the pictures from the gallery, as well as previous coverage or comparisons from the links below.
While this past week or so has dominated by CTIA in the U.S, the international focus remained on Samsung's latest bag of tricks, the Galaxy S III. European networks announced pricing and release plans, as we cross off the days until the May 29 launch. We've also seen the first Galaxy S III variant emerge, in the form of a new mid-range device for Korea Telecom.
But it hasn't been all Galaxy S III — LG announced the Optimus LTE 2, and released the Optimus L7 in the UK. And we also got a release date for the European RAZR MAXX. Meanwhile, Sony announced two sleek new Android 4.0 phones for the Japanese market — the Xperia GX (Hayabusa) and Xperia SX (Mint). We're eager to see these arrive on international shores, but right now Sony's made no announcements to this effect.
And Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates continue to roll out. This week the international version of the Samsung Galaxy Note got its bump up to ICS, bringing performance improvements, some visual tweaks and new S Memo functionality to Sammy's 5.3-incher.
There was also good news for anyone on a European network who likes to travel within Europe — the EU has voted to impose a price cap on calls and data roaming prices, meaning more reasonable roaming bills if you're travelling within Europe this summer.
Check the list below for a quick run-down of the main international Android developments in the past week or so. If you've got international news, be sure to tip us at the usual address.
href="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/huaweiy100.png">
alt="huawei y100" src="http://cdn.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/huaweiy100_thumb.png" width="144" height="150" /> At a time where phone networks in the UK are fighting over 4G spectrum, it’s easy to forget that not everyone is willing, or able, to spend £40 a month on a fast mobile phone – just ask those public sector workers who are
href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18010526">striking over pensions today.
With this in mind, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that O2 is attempting to broaden its smartphone lineup by adding Huawei’s Ascend Y100 into the mix.
The device is a far cry from the phones that are normally advertised by the network; if you visit O2′s home page you’ll be greeted by high-end Android phones, such as the
href="http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/05/09/closer-look-and-hands-on-with-the-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-already-the-most-interesting-phone-of-the-year-so-far-and-were-only-just-scratching-the-surface/">Samsung Galaxy S III, alongside the iPhone and Windows Phones, too.
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We first saw the HTC "Golf" in a leaked press image last month, along with a rumored name and spec list. Purportedly, the device would go to market as the HTC Wildfire C, with a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, 4GB storage, a 5PM camera, ICS and HTC Sense 4. Today we have what seems to be the first photos of the phone in the flesh, along with news of a possible change in name.
According to ITProPortal, which has obtained a couple of real-world photos of the device, its eventual name will be the HTC Desire C, a decision which if true will see HTC resurrecting the Desire brand for this entry-level product. Besides that, the specs and design mostly match up with what we'd already heard, pointing to a solid budget contender, but nothing to excite serious smartphone nerds.
We'd expect to see the Golf, or Desire C, or whatever it's called in Europe and Asia later in the year, and perhaps on one or two regional carriers in the U.S, too.
It looks like there’s more hiding in HTC’s Sense 4.0 than meets the eye. The Chinese gadget enthusiasts at ePrice found that if they paired certain Bluetooth headsets with the HTC One X, they could operate the shutter mechanism on the camera by pressing button combinations on the headset. It’s a useful little trick, and one that’s strangely absent from all the HTC documentation we’ve seen thus far. It’s possible, but not confirmed, that the trick could work with the other HTC One phones as well.
There is a bit of a wrench in the process, though: it appears that the camera requires different button presses from different headsets. An iTech brand A2DP headset required two taps of the Volume Up button, while Plantronics and Jabra headsets required triple-taps of the Dial button. Some rudimentary testing on our own One X with a Motorola Finiti headset didn’t reveal any combination that would activate the shutter – it might not work at all on some headsets.
Regardless of functionality, the idea is a pretty slick one, especially for a phone with a camera as good as the HTC One X has. (Read our review to see how good.) Having a DSLR-style wireless remote shutter for a smartphone is a novel enough idea in itself, but the possibility that it’ll work with something most people have already (or can buy cheaply) is very exciting. Now that the phone’s source code has been published, we hope some enterprising developer will find out how it was done, and perhaps give a little more rhyme and reason to the combinations that work or don’t work.
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S Voice is Samsung’s entry into the fledgling “virtual assistant” market currently occupied by Siri, Evi, Speaktoit Assistant, Vlingo, and a handful of others. The Galaxy S III rom leaked earlier today, and while most of the stuff in it is broken and completely useless without the version of Touchwiz it’s meant to run on, S Voice is a perfect combination of being interesting AND working. So we’re going to take a look at it on my Galaxy Nexus, which is currently running vanilla (well, AOKP) 4.0.4.
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