Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on the way

With Google I/O 2012 now kicked off and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean unveiled, the time has come to download the tools to make the magic. During this mornings keynote address, it was announced Android 4.1 would be rolling out mid-July while the SDK would be made available to developers today. The update has gone live now and is available for download to those who can make use of it. Some of the highlights to look forward to:

- Faster, Smoother, More Responsive - Android 4.1 is optimized to deliver Android's best performance and lowest touch latency, in an effortless, intuitive UI. Enhanced Accessibility - New APIs for accessibility services let you handle gestures and manage accessibility focus as the user moves through the on-screen elements and navigation buttons using accessibility gestures, accessories, and other input. The Talkback system and explore-by-touch are redesigned to use accessibility focus for easier use and offer a complete set of APIs for developers.
- Support For International Users - Android 4.1 helps you to reach more users through support for bi-directional text in TextView and EditText elements. Apps can display text or handle text editing in left-to-right or right-to-left scripts. Apps can make use of new Arabic and Hebrew locales and associated fonts.
- Expandable Notifications - Android 4.1 brings a major update to the Android notifications framework. Apps can now display larger, richer notifications to users that can be expanded and collapsed with a pinch. Notifications support new types of content, including photos, have configurable priority, and can even include multiple actions.
- Resizable app widgets - Android 4.1 introduces improved App Widgets that can automatically resize, based on where the user drops them on the home screen, the size to which the user expands them, and the amount of room available on the home screen. New App Widget APIs let you take advantage of this to optimize your app widget content as the size of widgets changes.

There is plenty more where that came from included with the package. If you're a developer, you'll want to be digging into this stuff as soon as possible and working on getting your apps updated with the latest Google has to offer. 

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Bloomberg confirms Google announcing $199 Nexus-branded Asus tablet at I/O

Bloomberg is reporting that Google is in fact planning to show off a $199, Nexus-branded Asus tablet at its I/O developer conference this week. The 7-inch tablet has been rumored for months, and will reportedly be the first device to show off Google’s new Jellybean operating system. Two days ago Gizmodo Australia posted images and specs it claims to have gleaned from a training manual, claiming the device will have a 1280 x 800 display, a 1.3GHz Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 12-core GeForce GPU. While the news is definitely interesting, it's not official until Google gives the word, so be sure to check back tomorrow for up-to-the-second liveblog coverage of I/O.

Source: theverge.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

New update on Instagram for Android optionally share likes to Facebook

What's in this version:

• Optionally share likes to Facebook (enable in Profile > Settings > Sharing settings > Facebook)
• Search for users and tags in the Explore tab
• Bug fix for loading more comments

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Google lowers price for Google Maps API

It seems Google’s pockets have been itching as they start losing some of their bigger Maps partners. Apple has decided to create its own mapping service. Likewise, developers like Foursquare are not happy with the prices and finding greener pastures. With repercussions coming in fast, the Search Giant has decided to make things a bit more flexible for developers.

Developers have been paying $4 for every 1000 Map loads after a daily limit of free 25,000 hits. This price has been brought down to $0.50 per 1,000 third-party app map loads. In addition, Google is also relieving developers from “styled maps” distinctions. Such developers would get a lower usage limit before these changes.

The vast majority of apps using the API will not exceed the 25,000 daily hits. In fact, Google states that only about 0.35% of them exceed said limits. But there is no doubt companies of the likes of Apple and Foursquare reach their limit very quickly.

It is hard to say if developers will start flocking back to Google’s wing. We know Apple won’t. But at least current users and upcoming developers will see this as a great incentive. Google IO is coming next week, and we will probably be hearing more about the improved 3D map features. Which by the way, look rather impressive.

We know Google will be working hard to improve its Map services, and with lower prices it hopes to keep as many partners as possible.

Source: phandroid.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Three US Galaxy S IIIs rooted

Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile, releasing their variant of the Galaxy S III so far, have been rooted. Nobody really expected it to take very long, but it's still nice to know it is done, and the devices are now ready to reach their maximum potential.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Flipboard for Android now available in Play Store

After running a short beta and having Samsung Galaxy S III exclusivity, the developers of Flipboard have gone ahead and opened the doors to the masses. The beta testing phase allowed for testing on numerous devices so you'll now be able to download Flipboard for Android not only from the Google Play Store but the Amazon App Store, Nook Store and right from within Samsung Apps.

We've given the "Magazine-style" reader a run through already but the official release does bring some new additions such as 14 localized editions—for Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan, U.S. and U.K. Plus, it also now includes the freshly announced Google+ integration as well as YouTube integration allowing you to view any of your subscribed videos right within the app.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Google Expands Live Traffic Info Into 7 New Countries, Updates 19 Others

One of the coolest features of Google Maps is the ability to show live traffic patterns on major roadways. Now, Google is rolling out this feature to seven new countries, as well as expanding coverage in 19 others. The new countries in the inner circle are Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Mexico, Peru, Romania and South Africa. Exciting!

As users of the service are no doubt aware, having your country or city covered doesn't necessarily mean every street is covered. So, Google is expanding to include more of the roads a man must walk down. Here's the full list of expanded territories:

Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Israel
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
New Zealand
Puerto Rico
Russia
Spain
Sweden
Taiwan
UK

All in all, it's a solid update to a valuable service. The update is available immediately from Google Maps online or via mobile apps.

Source: androidpolice.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

WinZip for Android in Play Store

Now the world's #1 zip utility makes it easy to view, open and save zip files on your Android device, whether they're attached to an incoming email, downloaded from a web page or opened from an SD memory card.
The new WinZip for Android follows the success of WinZip for iOS which has been downloaded by more than a million users. WinZip's product line offers tools for today's popular platforms and devices including Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.

WinZip for Android top features
• View supported file formats directly within the WinZip app. Easily open other popular formats with 3rd-party app integration.
• Open encrypted Zip files (including AES128 and AES256) to review sensitive material safely while on the go.
• Copy unzipped content to the clipboard to paste into an email or another application. Save the last extracted zip file to access at later time.

View and open popular files formats

WinZip for Android offers built-in viewing support for:
• Photos and images (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif)
• Text files (.rtf, .csv, .txt, .ini, .inf, .bat, .js, .log, .xml, .css, .java, .cs, .h, .m, .cpp, .c, .sql, .properties)
• Web files (.htm, .html, .jsp, .asp)
• Apk files (.apk)

WinZip for Android works with 3rd-party apps to open:
• Word documents (.doc, .docx)
• Excel spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx)
• PowerPoint presentations (.ppt, .pptx)
• PDF files (.pdf)

Availability
Compatible with Android operating systems 2.1 (Eclair), 2.2 (Froyo), 2.3 (Gingerbread), 3.x (Honeycomb) and 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich), WinZip for Android is available now as a free English app.

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Shell Motorist app with nice UI and company details

The new Shell Motorist app is designed to help you to get more out of driving, and to give you Shell information and personalised special offers at your fingertips:

• Use the app to receive special offers, check your balance and your Shell loyalty card transactions for any Shell loyalty card. You can also see how you can spend your loyalty points. 
• It can help keep you on top of your vehicle’s maintenance -use the reminder service to receive alerts when your vehicle’s tax, servicing, insurance or annual check-up are due.
• Our route planner is designed to help you find the best way to your destination and to estimate the cost of your journey.
• The station locator shows your nearest Shell service station to help you fill up with ease once out on the road. 
• You can also see information on Shell highlights and products.

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Facebook for Android gets a minor update

Facebook for Android gets a minor update with various bug fixes.

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Amazon Kindle for Android gets an update to enhance tablet experience

Amazon has pushed a new update for their Kindle app for devices Android devices other than the company’s proprietary e-reader. The latest version of Amazon Kindle for Android enhances the user experience for tablet users by providing a side-by-side page view in landscape mode and the ability to customize margins and line spacing. For everyone else the update addresses several bugs, most notably one that would sign users out of the app when closed.

The latest version of Kindle for Android is now available via Google Play. Head over to the link below to download: Amazon Kindle

Source: phandroid.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

T-Mobile Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich update now live in Samsung Kies

T-Mobile and Samsung have made the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Galaxy S II live and available via Samsung Kies. Because they have labeled this an "optional" update -- ICS brings a good many changes some may not like or want -- there will be no OTA firmware update. Yeah, we don't like Kies either, but what can you do?


Anyhoo, if you do want the optional update to 4.0.3, fire up Kies and follow the on-screen information to update to the latest available firmware. Besides all the goodness that comes with ICS, T-Mobile tells us there are enhancements to Wifi calling, the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), and enhancements to user voicemail. We're just glad ICS is finally here.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Google Maps will be ditched out of next iOS

As we already heard of this, from the WWDC last night Apple confirmed to use their own Maps app for iOS. Google Maps will be replaced in the next generation of iOS, iOS 6. Currently you can find it in the demo version. The new Maps app is its own in-house solution, including 3D, traffic view and turn-by-turn navigation, which has never been as good on the fruit phone as it has on Android.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Adobe Flash Player 11 gets minor update

This update to Adobe Flash Player 11 includes compatibility with Android 4 supported devices, performance improvements and bug fixes related to security and stability. The complete set of release notes can be found at: http://adobe.ly/H0xv8K

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

TomTom for Android Coming This Summer

Before Google announced Google Nav for Android, the turn-by-turn direction world was dominated by two other giants: Garmin and TomTom. While Google may have eaten into their marketshare, both companies still have a humongous user base and rightfully so. The price point on Google Nav is perfect (it’s free) but both Garmin and TomTom traditionally offer better location pinpointing and have a different set of features and unique looks that their respectively loyal fans enjoy. 

Those loyal TomTom fans will be happy to learn that the launch of a TomTom Android App is imminent. Company co-founder claimed a launch would come “fairly soon” but it’s his emphasis that the “summer season is important for us,” which makes me think an appearance by the end of June is likely.

TomTom already has a fairly successful iPhone app priced at $59.99, although it’s sub 4-star rating may worry some. You can expect that an Android version will have a very similar look in feel to the actual car navigation, while the on-phone navigation should (we hope) mirror Android’s style more closely.

Source: phandroid.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Chrome Beta for Android updated for stability and performance improvements

Google Chrome Beta for Android has an update being pushed out right now through the Google Play Store. While a minor bump, it does focus primarily on performance and stability improvements. There's also a minor reorganizing of the settings options. The official changelog reads:

Chrome for Android Beta has been updated to 0.18.4531.3636 on Google Play. In addition to changes through Chrome 18.0.1025.166 and a minor reorganization of Settings options, this update focuses primarily on stability and performance improvements.
Known issues:
113041 : No way to auto-hide the toolbar
114964 : Error pages are not optimized for mobile / Android devices
Other notable issues listed here

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Flipboard for Android gets update to version 1.8.4 beta 2

Development continues apace for Flipboard for Android, as the app has been updated to version 1.8.4 beta 2. The latest version is a relatively minor update, bringing bug fixes and a handful of new features to the digital magazine app. Sharing via Android's built-in "share" API is a welcome addition, and we're always partial to the occasional performance improvement, though we've experienced no slowdown in the app so far.


Here's the full change log for Flipboard version 1.8.4 beta 2 --

• Added sharing via other applications
• Fixed authentication bug which could cause repeated logins
• Remember the position in a section if you accidentally leave it
• Improved stability and performance

Samsung Galaxy S III owners and beta participants on other phones can grab the 2.5MB update to the latest version by firing up the app as usual -- you should get an update notification like the one in the photo above.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Kies air updates to fix bugs on tablet devices

Kies air gets an update to fix bugs on tablet devices. Here are the update details:

• Force closed issue on tablet devices is fixed.
• Minor bugs are fixed.

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Instagram for Android gets improved search functionality and busgfixes for devices in the new update

Instagram for Android gets improved search functionality and busgfixes for devices in the new update. Here are the update details:

• Improved search functionality
• Support for location data taken from Gallery images when geotag is selected
• Fix for HTC Sensation 4G freezing using tilt shift
• Improved support and bugfixes for devices using the Instagram advanced camera
• Addresses tilt shift issues on lower resolution images 

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Angry Birds Space for Android get 10 more new levels

Angry Birds Space for Android gets updated with 10 tasty new levels. Here are the update details:

• Welcome to the delicious food planet of Utopia! These 10 delectable new levels filled with popcorn, cookies, and candy apples are good enough to eat – at least the pigs think so!
• Munch your way through 10 tasty new levels!
• Bounce birds off jelly trampolines!
• Pop corn to create delicious mayhem!

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

LINE for Android gets updated with easier access to LINE Camera/Card

LINE for Android gets updated to Version 2.4.0 with the function to move directly to LINE Camera and LINE Card from the LINE Chatroom. Here are the update details:

• Move to LINE Card/LINE Camera using the [+] button in the chat-room
• Changed the order of settings menu
• Other minor bug fixes

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Microsoft releases on{X} automation app for Android

A key aspect of the power of smartphones is the variety of functions they provide to the user. Data, GPS, Voice, Video, are all found in almost every Android phone on the market. With today's release of on{X} ("on-ex"), Microsoft hopes to exploit this convergence of functionality in a way that is less reliant on the user for input and more aware of its surroundings. By gathering information from the host of sensors available to the operating system, it's quite possible for your phone to determine its location and context and respond accordingly, without intervention by the user.

If the concept sounds familiar, it's because one of Android's classic stand-out applications, Tasker, is built on the same premise. Clearly Microsoft figures that there's room for improvement in this category of device autonomy. Much like Tasker, on{X} hooks into your phone's multiple inputs. Where it differs is rule creation. User-friendliness here seems to be key to the experience. Microsoft wants users of all technical capabilities to use, modify, or create "recipes" for on{X} through simple modifiable phrases, without the need to understand the code behind it. 

However, unlike Tasker, it does not appear to be possible to program these rules directly on your phone. Instead, they are created on your PC and then pushed to your phone. A confusing arrangement, considering Microsoft's touting of on{X}'s separation from "the cloud". Perhaps coding on-device will come at a future point, or users may be able do it directly in their phone's browser. 

Source: androidpolice.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Drop Test Video Between iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy SIII

In the video, they bought 2 competitive smartphones in the fight, Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 4s. There were 3 different kinds of drop test, normal drop, kid drop (not really!), car test.

Source: androidpolice.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Ice Cream Sandwich is still far away from Gingerbread

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwish has been released to android devices quite for a while. Most android smartphone manufacturers have not been succeeded to put their devices. Most of the android devices still run the Gingerbread as the statistics shown. Gingerbread is still the run away leader here with a total of 65 percent but Ice Cream Sandwich has now reached 7.1 percent of Android smartphones out there.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

Samsung Galaxy S III Teardown

All parts are put together as promised. Exynos processor is so great. The phone front glass is actually connected to the frame of the phone. This will cost you when the glass is broken. The interesting part is the camera which is basically the same unit found in iPhone 4S.

Source: androidcentral.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

[GALAXY S III] Introducing Samsung GALAXY S III: A Day in the Life

Experience a day in the life of the GALAXY S III, and how it plays an intimate role with you and your loved ones. It sees. It listens. It knows. It's the GALAXY S III, designed for humans and inspired by nature.

Source: samsungmobile

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.

ASUS Releases Two New Computex 2012 Teasers, A Dual Boot Windows/Android Tablet!?

ASUS just released two new teaser videos in its event at Computex 2012. Of all the possibilities, a dual-boot Windows 8/Android Transformer sounds like the most fitting (and also the most perfect). Here are the two new teaser videos:

[ASUS COMPUTEX 2012 Teaser II] All-in-One is No Longer In One:

[ASUS COMPUTEX 2012 Teaser III] When Two Sides Unite:

Source: androidpolice.com

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Android All Around (Android 360 Degree) - Explore the world of Android; All Things about Android: Android Updates, News, Devices, Apps, Reviews, Tips, and Tutorials.