Articles

Get your cell phone bill paid each month

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 21:21:46 +0000

Switching carriers and phone plans is a bitter sweet moment. You know what you are getting from your current provider good and bad and you also have dialed in the amount of minutes, texts and data you use each month. But there may be a better deal out there that meets your needs and you can live with.

This is the position I was in for the past couple of weeks. I had been a Verizon user sense the Blackberry Storm 1 came out and have been happy with their service, but it was still costing me too much per month. I was in a family plan with 5 total phone lines (the most you can have). I was grandfathered into an unlimited data plan and I had a 20 percent discount through my work. Still my phone bill was 60 bucks a month! It was time for me to save some money and start looking for a change. My search brought me to the vast majority of pre-paid services available because they offer great coverage/service plans at a super cheap price. I then found a pre-paid service that would pay me to use it and the best part was it uses one of the 4 major carrier’s towers.

Solavei is a pre-paid service that is backed and runs off the T-Mobile towers. The pre-paid plan includes unlimited talk, unlimited text and unlimited data though you can be throttled but the first 4gb are grunted 4g speed all for 49.99 dollars a month. Solavei then goes above and beyond anything any carrier has done before and offers a marketing plan that will pay you for getting others to sign up. Every 3 people you sign will earned you 20 bucks a month and then every 3 people they sign up owns you 20 more dollars a month. The graph that Solavie provides shows how someone could make 20,000 dollars a month. With that extra incentive I went ahead and left my long time carrier and switched to Solavei on the T-Mobile network and I have no regrets. The service is great because it’s T-Mobile and the bill is less than what I was previously paying at Verizon.

If you are interested in joining Solavei or just want to learn more this is how the cost of getting signed up breaks down. The plan cost 49.99 a month and you have to pay the first month of service up front. Then there is a 49.99 activation fee along with a 29.99 fee for the sim card. So that means to get started with Solavei it will only cost around 130 dollars not including taxes or if you purchase a phone from them. You will then be mailed your sim card and then you’re good to go. One thing I really like is you can use any T-Mobile phone and even some ATT phones.

Source- solavei.com

Make and Receive FREE Calls

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 05:51:35 +0000

Ever sense I purchased my first Android phone, I have been trying to push the limits of what it can do. One of my goals was to be able to make and receive free calls and texts from any Android device. A little over two years ago I was able to reach this goal with the help of Gizmo5 and Sipdroid and a lot of thanks to others that created the tutorials I followed. But shortly after my excitement left and sadness crept in as I read Gizmo5 was closing shop and the other one Sipgate wasn't accepting new applicants.

I decided instead of giving up I was going to stretch my skills and try to figure out a method to make and receive calls and texts myself. After a lot of trial and error and a lot of late nights I figured out a method that would work for anyone and everyone and not just those that were lucky enough to have gotten into Sipgate before it stopped accepting applicants. The process was quite a few steps and used several different services but it worked and to my credit it still works today, two years later.

In the last two years there has been a lot of advancement in the realm of VoIP service. One of the greatest, and my favorite, is GrooveIP. It is an all in one app that takes care of all the hassle for you ( I like to think they got their idea from me). The only thing you need is a Google Voice account and you can make and receive free calls all you want. The only issue for some now is successfully signing up for a Google Voice account because to sign up you already need a previous phone number. Well I am here to say that I haven’t given up on my love and desire for free calls and text and that I have created a new method and the simplest method ever to make and receive free calls.

You can find the link to the instructions HERE at my original method. And if for some reason the new method doesn’t work, you can always use my original method that still works.

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Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:38:56 +0000

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Get ROM Toolbox Pro For A Special Price & H...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 21:02:23 +0000

My good friend and mentor jrummy16 just hit me up to let me know about a great deal for Android users, which will help fund research by the Testicular Cancer Society. Some of you may not be aware, but jared himself is a cancer survivor, so you know this is something he's quite passionate about.

jrummy16 is developed behind legendary Android projects like Liberty ROM, & Kangerade from back in the OG Droid days. Jared has several apps on the Google Playstore, all of which are excellent apps. Today, his ROM Toolbox Pro application turns 1 year old, & in celebration, Jared is offering the app for a special price of $2.99 ($5.99 Regularly), and half of all proceeds will be donated to the Testicular Cancer Society.

ROM Toolbox Pro combines all the major root apps into one app plus adds much more. Users can flash ROMs, have a root file explorer, set cpu profiles, install full themes and more. Don't miss your chance to grab a great app & do some good at the same time.

You can pick up the app or get more info HERE

And for those of you who have already purchased the app but would still like to contribute to the cause as a thanks to Jared for all his contributions to Android, you can do so HERE.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus gets Android 4.0.4 Ice Cre...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:21:19 +0000

Since the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was released last year to coincide with the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the handset easily shot up to the top of the smartphone leaderboards due to the fact that it is the first handset to run the latest version of the Android operating system. Not only that, our smartphone-crazed brethren saw the handset as the best Android-powered handset there is.

After quite some time though, the novelty of the Google flagship device began to wear off because the Samsung Galaxy Nexus got stuck with Android 4.0.2 with nary an update for the past couple of months.
Everything changed though when Google recently confirmed the availability of the Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

In fact, the rollout of the update for the handset has already rolled out via OTA so a notification is bound to pop up on your handset in the coming days. Should you run out of patience in waiting for the said notification, you always have the option of manually checking for the update as well. Once you successfully update your Samsung Galaxy Nexus to Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, the stability of the smartphone will get enhanced.

The phone number recognition of the handset will also be improved and the screen rotation when hanging from portrait to landscape and vice versa will become smoother. In addition to that, the camera performance of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will also be significantly improved.

The only caveat here is that the Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich update will only be rolled out to the GSM version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. If you happen to have the Verizon variant of the handset, this update will sad to say not land on your handset but Android 4.0.5 ICS has already been confirmed to the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus so you are not out of luck after all.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus features a frame that measures 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm and it tips the scales at 135 grams. Despite its black-slab design aesthetics, the chassis of the handset has a curved design that gives it a sexy and sleek look. Factored in into the equation is the solid build quality of the handset, a feature that is expected from a Google flagship handset.

Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is multitasking machine with a Texas Instruments OMAP4460 SoC at the heart of its operations. Computing power is delivered by its dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor and 1GB of RAM while its storage space comes up to 32GB. The display of the handset is a stunning SuperAMOLED multitouch capacitive display measuring 4.65 inches diagonally and has a resolution pegged at 1280 x 720 pixels. The only less than perfect feature of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is its below par camera department with only a 5MP shooter at its back panel and a 1.3MP front-facer. Both shooters are capable of video recording though so this at least makes up for the below par sensor resolution of the shooters.

Despite the snags, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is still one of the better-performing handsets in the Android ecosystem today and the jump to Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, at least for the GSM version of the handset, will tend make the device even more attractive and capable for that matter.

Worst Time To Buy An Android Phone According to...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:16:15 +0000

Recent advances in technology have made possible Android phones which were not even thought possible a few years back. Though it hasn’t been too long since the release of the first Android phone, they have come a long way since then providing users with stunning displays powered by some of the fastest processors. Despite these promising figures, it is still not the best time to buy an Android based smartphone. The primary reason for this is the huge line up of devices set to be released in the near future.

The usual trend of smartphone releases has always been such that a recently released phone tends to become outdated within a few months of release. With two year contracts coming with each phone, tech savvy smartphone users find it increasingly difficult to commit to a specific phone model. However the trend has not been the same amongst Android phones in the recent past. The progress in the past year or so has been rather sluggish with no revolutionary changes being seen in the smartphone market. However, this is likely to change in the next batch of Android phones hitting the shelves in which dramatic changes are expected.

Two of the biggest smartphone makers in the world, HTC and Samsung have announced the release of next-generation devices which are bound to make the devices on the market right now seem outdated. Samsung has not officially unveiled its next generation flagship model yet but it is expected to be the Galaxy S III. The phone is expected to have a 1080p 4.8 inch Super AMOLED display which will change the smartphone display game the same way Apple’s Retina display has changed the tablet display segment.

HTC has already unveiled its next flagship model for the first half of 2012, the HTC One X at the Mobile World Congress. This device will feature an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera which will enable video chats in 720p, embedded 4G LTE, 32 GB of internal storage, 1GB of RAM and a 4.6 inch 1280 x 720 pixel Super LCD 2 display. The device will be powered by a 1.5GHz quad core Tegra 3 processor while running the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.0.

Source : Pocket Mobile

Google to sell co-branded Android tablets in a...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:09:37 +0000

There's been a lot of buzz about Google's "Nexus Tablet." Most rumors suggest Google has contracted Asus to build a sub-$200 Android tablet, and now the Wall Street Journal weighs in, firmly stating that Google will open a new online store that'll sell co-branded Android tablets by other makers.

According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) and relayed via Nexus 404:

"Google won't make the devices and its existing partners such as Samsung Electronics Co. and AsusTeK Computer Inc. 2357.TW -1.08% will be responsible for the hardware, these people said.

One co-branded tablet that may be sold in the online store is due to be released later this year by Taiwan-based Asus, said one of these people.

Details of the project remain unclear, including when Google plans to unveil the online store. Google is expected to release the next version of its Android software, called Jelly Bean, in the middle of this year, people familiar with the matter have said."

Google will soon manufacture its own tablets, due to its pending $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., which has been approved in the U.S. and in Europe and is awaiting approval by Chinese authorities. People familiar with the Google's plans said Motorola tablets are expected to be offered in the online store.

Based on that, we can assume that Google's new online storefront will simply be a digital aisle for consumers to peruse and compare respectable tablets. What's most interesting is that the WSJ also says that Google "will soon manufacture its own tablets" with the help from Motorola. Does that mean we can look forward to more Xoom tablets?

This isn't Google's first attempt at an online store to sell its approved hardware. Years ago, when the Nexus One was launched, Google tried to sell the phone unlocked through its online store. After poor sales, Google killed the online store.

Why would Google revive an online store? Well, this time around things are different. Android is more ubiquitous. Oh, and there's also that whole push for Google Play. An online store that sells Google-approved hardware could be a good move at corralling the "fragmented" Android tablet experience. This could also see Google exerting more control over the experience — choosing to be more Apple and Amazon-esque by closely integrating the hardware and software at the points of sale.

Source : Wall Street Journal; Nexus 404

Android 4.0 ICS Update: Leaked Image Reveals Dr...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:05:32 +0000

Leaked Image Reveals Droid RAZR/Maxx and HTC Rezound To Get A Scoop Of ICS Next Week

Joining the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S are three more Android smartphones, namely the Verizon Droid RAZR, RAZR Maxx and HTC Rezound, which will apparently get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update as early as next week.

According to Android Police, it had obtained a leaked document from Best Buy Mobile terminal that clearly showed the dates on which the phones are scheduled to get the software update. As per the leaked image, Wednesday, April 4 is slated to be the day when both Droid RAZR and RAZR Maxx will get the Android 4.0 update. While the HTC Rezound will get the update on Friday, April 6.

In November last year, HTC announced that it would bring Android 4.0 to a number of handsets by early 2012. But a Facebook update by the company earlier this month said that most of the models won't receive ICS until "later this year."

The company said that the Sensation, Sensation 4G, Sensation XE and Sensation XL would receive the upgrade in March, while other handsets like the Rezound, Vivid, Amaze 4G, EVO 3D, EVO Design 4G, Incredible S, Desire S and Desire HD would have to wait a bit longer than previously thought, The Verge reported.

If the latest information about the next week ICS update is true, that's definitely great news for Rezound owners. However, it doesn't bring any comfort to Droid Bionic owners.

In October last year, Motorola confirmed via Twitter that Droid Bionic would be getting updated to Ice Cream Sandwich along with the RAZR and Xoom tablet. But there haven't been any details as to when the update will finally arrive. In addition, Verizon also recently confirmed that at least 14 of its devices would get the ICS update, but didn't say when.

Meanwhile, Sony has announced that Android 4.0 ICS upgrade is coming to 2011 Xperia smartphones starting mid-April.

"The first Xperia models to receive the upgrade will be Xperia arc S, Xperia neo V and Xperia ray. For these first models, the rollout will start mid-April and continue over 4-6 weeks," reads an official blog post.

Other devices that will receive their ICS scoop starting from the end of May and early June include Xperia arc, Xperia PLAY, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman.

Source : Android Police

Android Apps: 5 Things To Remember Before Buyin...

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:59:40 +0000

A cool looking Android app is bound to attract our attention, and the app attracts us more if it's free for download. Though many free apps provide good service, yet sometimes they end up having limited functionality. But if you pay for them, you will get apps with full functionality.

But do you ever ask yourself if you really need the app, or is it just for the sake of the moment to show-off. How do you decide whether you should buy an app or not? Here are a few things that you should keep in mind.

A Cheaper Alternative:
A smart buyer is one who looks for a cheaper or rather a free alternative to the app he is about to download. The best thing about apps is that there is always an alternative and you just need to be patient and search them. The Google Play Store is filled with a host of applications to choose from and you will always find the best alternatives or equivalents to apps if you read the description and ratings made by other users.

Trying Before Buying:
It is a known fact that most developers provide a free trial for the paid apps they design. This helps interested customers get a taste of the app and also of the quality of service and customer care provided by the developer. Going through a free trial is always the best way to judge an app before you finally decide to shell out the cash.

Time Spent:
Before you download the app, ask yourself as to how much time will you be spending when you finally get hold of the app after spending money. Don't decide on the basis of the availability of the app - that is if it's free or paid - as both of them will affect your device in some way, and we all know a hefty amount of apps on your device tends to slow down its progress. Moreover, they eat up your storage space. Thus choose only the ones that you really need to get on.

Regular Updates and Fixes:
Remember to check that the app you are about to download gets regular updates and fixes from the developers. Currently, most Android app developers release important upgrades or updates regularly and such releases are often intended to fix bugs from earlier releases or to add support for more Android devices in the future. Sometimes they also bring about new functions and features.

Importance:
Some users end up buying a certain app in the fit of the moment only to later realize that it's not that useful at all. This should never be the case as when you are shelling out a big amount of cash, you should always make sure that the app is actually worth all the money.

Google Makes More From iPhones Than it Does Fro...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:53:28 +0000

Does Google earn more cash from Apple iPhone than Android?

That at least is the conclusion of this interesting calculation done by the Guardian, that Google makes more in revenue from it’s deal with Apple for iPhones than it does with it’s own Android ecosystem.

They’ve exploited the income figures from a court case to make the calculation and their final numbers are:

"[indent]
Android generated less than $550m in revenues for Google between 2008 and the end of 2011, if figures provided by the search giant as part of a settlement offer with Oracle ahead of an expected patent and copyright infringement trial are an accurate guide.
The figures also suggest that Apple devices such as the iPhone, which use products such as its Maps as well as Google Search in its Safari browser, generated more than four times as much revenue for Google as its own handsets in the same period. "[/indent]

Handset makers don’t pay to get access to Android, of course. But in order to get certified they have to include the usual suite of Google products, search, Maps, YouTube and so on. Looking at the damages Google is offering Oracle to settle a possible patent infringement case allows one to calculate up what the total revenues from those services (ie, the ad revenue that their inclusion on phones brought to Google) have been. So that’s one number.

Google doesn’t report separate Android numbers and wouldn’t comment upon this calculation. However, it does release numbers for mobile revenues. And mobile numbers will include not just Android but also the similar deal that Google has with Apple to provide search, Maps and so on. Subtract one number from the other and you can see what Google is making from Apple’s iPod, iPhone and so on. And the calculation turns out as above, Google make four times more from its relationship with Apple than it does from Android.

That’s all very interesting but of course the important question is what’s going to happen in the future. My guess is that Android will be a much more widely installed OS than iOS and thus I would guess that Android revenues for Google will overtake Apple ones. But then as the man said, prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.

Source : Computerworld

Hulu Plus Expands to Seven Android Tablets

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:47:41 +0000

Hulu Plus Expands Android Tablet Support, Adds 'Deluxe' UI

Hulu Plus expanded its reach into the Android tablet market with an update that encompasses seven older tablets, and adds a "super deluxe" UI.

Hulu previously launched its Hulu Plus app for the Apple iPad, Kindle Fire, Nook Tablet, and the 7-inch Vizio tablet. But this week's update adds support for the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Motorola Xoom, Motorola XYBoard 10.1, Toshiba Thrive, Acer Iconia, and LG G-Slate. A number of Android phones are already supported.

The new layout gives the Hulu Plus app the horizontally aligned look of Flipboard or a similar app, with content arranged vertically, but navigated side-to-side. A full list of Hulu's supported devices is on its website. Most recently, Hulu developed Plus for the Nintendo Wii.

"When building this app, we looked for ways to grant you instant access to exactly what you want to watch," the team said in a blog post. "Once you decide on a show, hold your finger down on the show's thumbnail and the latest episode of the series will automatically start playing. If you've been following a show for a while, hold your finger down on the show's thumbnail and the next episode will automatically launch based on where you are in the series."

Unfortunately, a few users reported a glitch with the Motorola Xoom, in that playback did not work. PCMag contacted a Hulu spokeswoman, who said that her team would look into the matter. Some users also wondered why the app did not support the Galaxy Tab, another popular Android tablet. More Android devices will be supported in the future, Hulu said.

Owners can download the app from the Google Play Store, formerly known as the Android Market.

Source : PCW

Tegra 3 Android tablets to cost as low as...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:42:49 +0000

Perhaps learning a thing or two from Amazon, Nvidia's head honcho hints at more affordable Android tablets in the near future.

Remember the 7-inch tablet that Nvidia teased at CES earlier this year? The Tegra 3-powered device that was supposed to cost $249? It could turn out to be more affordable than we thought.

According to The New York Times, Nvidia's head honcho, Jen-Hsun Huang, indicated that the company is working on lowering the cost of its latest Tegra 3 processors. He also hinted that Android tablets will go for $199 by the second half of the year.

Though the quad-core Tegra 3 processor is currently found on the Asus Transformer Prime and will be featured in a number of upcoming smartphones from LG and HTC, these devices are high-end products that cost much more than $199.

However, there have been recent reports that Google is planning to launch a 7-inch tablet this year. It's said to be built by Asus and will cost between $149 and $199. If this device is indeed the same tablet shown at CES, it will certainly be an attractive proposition.

Amazon's Kindle Fire has shown that there is a market for inexpensive slates, but critics have contended that its budget-class hardware and customized Android-based OS don't give the best user experience. However, a Google Nexus tablet powered by the capable Tegra 3 processor would be a different story.

Source : Crave Asia

Manage Your Tunes with Google Music

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:02:55 +0000

Want access to your music anytime, anywhere? With your Android powered device and Google Music, you can discover, buy and share music whether you're on the go with your smartphone or at home with your Android tablet.

It’s All About Discovery

Working seamlessly with Google Music, Google Play™ allows you to find music you love, whether new or familiar songs. You can check out staff-picked emerging artists and great bands from your favorite genres, get personalized recommendations based on what you listen to—not just what you buy, and rediscover lost gems in your library by creating an instant mix.

The Shop Is Always Open

When you purchase music on Google Play, it’s automatically stored in your Google Music library for free—and it does not count toward your storage limit. You can listen to your music on your Android-powered devices with the Google Music app as well as on any web browser, by simply logging in to your account.

Your music is always ready to be played or downloaded instantly, and all songs and albums on Google Play are high-quality 320kbps MP3 files, the most common format for digital audio storage. There are millions of songs to choose from and no matter whether you bought your music on the web, on your tablet or on your phone, you can always listen to it from any of them at any time.

Listen Anytime, Anywhere

With Google Music, you can instantly access your library anywhere and anytime, no syncing or wires needed. As long as your device is running Android 2.2, Froyo, or a more recent version, you can stream music and listen instantly. You can also save your favorites to your mobile device to play them later, when you’re offline. With devices like Samsung's Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab that feature a dual core processor, you can always count on skip-free playback and a smooth interface for finding your favorite tunes.

Keeping Track is Easy

Keep all your music in one place. Anything you get from Google Play is automatically stored in your Google Music library and you can add up to 20,000 of your own songs—all for free—with Music Manager, a simple desktop application that allows you to upload files from your computer. Music Manager can upload your iTunes and Windows Media Player library, playlists, playcounts, ratings and more. Once your music is uploaded, you can access everything on your device. With Google Music, you can search your library, create playlists, edit song information, and even rate tracks. Because your music collection is online, you won’t have to synchronize your devices every time you make changes. It’s all organized in one place and available to play anywhere.

Go Ahead, Share the Love

Excited about a great new band? Let your friends know about your latest discovery. When you buy songs on Google Play, you can share a listen with your friends on Google+. You can even share a song preview with your Google+ circles without making a purchase.

Get Started

If you're ready to discover, buy and share great tunes, then get started by signing up to Google Music or explore millions of tracks in Google Play.

ChatON Keeps You Connected

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:52:27 +0000

Just because your friends use different types of devices doesn’t mean you can’t stay well connected. With ChatON, you can easily communicate with them and make sure nothing gets in the way of your friendship.

Staying in touch with all of your friends, work contacts and family members can be a full-time job. Between texting, emails, updating social media sites and phone calls, getting everyone on the same page can be quite a workout—especially given all of the different devices, operating systems and platforms that are out on the market. Trying to plan something as simple as meeting for brunch can wear you out before you even begin. Luckily, there’s ChatON—a new messaging application that makes keeping up with your social circle faster, easier and more fun.

Communication Innovation

ChatON is the latest smart-messaging app that gives you a host of innovative ways to stay connected with all your friends and family, regardless of their device or platform. Whether you’re looking to initiate a group chat, share videos, send interactive animation messages or even wage a little friendly competition, ChatON is revolutionizing the way people communicate.

A Simple Idea Whose Time Has Come

ChatON was developed with one mission in mind: to make communicating with friends and family a whole lot easier. As a result, there are a number of features ChatON utilizes to streamline the entire experience of keeping on top of your daily life.

For starters, the phone number-based feature allows you to access your friends easily from your contact list without having to register your buddies separately. Not only does the feature save you time, it’s also the key reason why ChatON works across all devices and platforms.

Here’s a quick look at the many features of ChatON:

Get everyone together in one convenient place. Trying to coordinate plans with multiple friends can give even the most experienced texters a sore thumb. With ChatON, you can avoid the multiple texts by using the group chat feature that gives you the freedom to have a “bigger” conversation with multiple contacts all in one handy place.

Trying to make plans for Saturday night on the town? Don’t send dozens of separate messages when you can easily iron out the details with ChatON’s group chat. Or course, if you prefer to speak privately, ChatON gives you the option of one-on-one communication as well.

Say it with something more than a text. Why communicate with texts alone when you can say it visually? ChatON lets you stay in touch with your friends and family beyond the written word. Send pictures, videos, audio, contacts, calendar and even your location. Even better, ChatON lets you create special animated messages for your friends with your handwritten notes, text, photos, background images and music. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Raise the stakes with a little friendly competition. With ChatON, you can challenge your friends and contacts to see who stays in touch the best. The Buddy Interaction feature shows you which friends you chat with most frequently and makes a game out of your interactions. Points are awarded for the number of messages sent and the top three contacts on your list are given medals displayed next to their names. You can even broadcast your accomplishments to your other contacts when you’ve earned top bragging rights. Who knew staying in touch could be so fun?

Leave a message, short and snappy. Got something on your mind you want to share with a buddy? ChatON makes it easy to express yourself in a flash. Use the Buddies Say feature to leave your message on your buddy's profile page. Be sure to check back to see what they say in return on your profile.

The Trunk gives you quick and easy access to media files. Want to see that cool video one friend sent to another? With ChatON, you can check all the images and media files shared in chat rooms through the multimedia-sharing box called the Trunk. You can leave replies for individual items or share on other SNS sites. If only the trunk in your car was this well-organized!

Seamlessly connect with the most popular mobile phones. Versatility is at the center of ChatON’s appeal. That’s why ChatON supports multiple platforms and devices, including Android, bada and iOS. Additionally, ChatON will be coming soon to Blackberry® OS as well. So regardless of the type of phone your friends and family have, you can easily share the sights and sounds of your life with one easy application.

Now that you know what it can do, it’s time to try ChatON for yourself. Click here to download the ChatON from Google Play today. You’ll never communicate with your friends and family the same way again.

20 Apps for Your Galaxy Note S Pen

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:44:15 +0000

With its responsive, accurate movement, your S Pen™ can do more than you might imagine, providing new ways to capture, create and share. Take advantage of its capabilities by exploring all the great apps for S Pen at Google Play. You can take notes, sketch, scribble, doodle, sign credit card receipts, play games and more.

Samsung Apps Recommendations

Want to find the best apps for your Galaxy Note? Simply select the "Samsung Apps" app on your device and go to the "S Pen Apps" category. There you'll find fun and useful apps that will help you get the most out of your Galaxy Note and S Pen.

20 Great Apps to Download

American Football Clipboard gives you the clipboard of a pro football coach. Demonstrate plays and strategies, take notes about the team, use your S Pen to move players and the ball, and save an unlimited number of plays into your playbook that youcan load quickly from the sidelines.

Amazon Kindle is the perfect way to read books on your phone, whether it’s classics or best-sellers that you love. The large screen is ideal for reading books and the S Pen's enhanced precision makes it easy to highlight text. You can also enjoy newspapers and magazines, too, with high-resolution color images. Customize the experience by selecting your preferred font size, screen brightness and background color. Sync your e-books across devices.

Basketball Coach’s Clipboard is just like a coach’s actual whiteboard, but conveniently on an electronic screen. With this app, you can easily develop your strategies: draw (and save) an unlimited number of plays, then animate them. Move players around on the screen, draw lines with the S Pen, erase lines where needed, and animate the plays. Save and load them onto your playbook.

Basketball Tactics gives you the winning edge. You can see animated basketball play diagrams, learn new skills, and improve your playing style. Whether it’s offense or defense, basic or advanced instruction, you can pick up more than a few good tips with this app.

ChatON supports many platforms and devices, and helps you have better, richer communication with friends. This app offers a variety of fun ways to chat, including group chats, broadcasts, animated messages, pictures and audio. Use the S Pen to color and draw animated messages for your friends.

Deer Hunter Challenge means that it’s always open season. This hunting app takes you to extreme wilderness environments in search of the biggest game around the world. Use the GPS map to train your sights on cougars, moose and more. Choose from customizable weapons such as the bolt rifle, shotgun, crossbow and more.

Flick Golf will leave you hooked on the game. The popular app is now bigger than ever with two new courses, an option to unlock all courses, and all-new medals. Flick, spin and curve your shots while watching out for hazards such as bunkers, trees and sand. Set the course for varying wind effects. Enjoy accurate in-flight spin control and stunning 3D environments.

Fruit Ninja Free offers nonstop action with squishy, splashy, satisfying fruit carnage. Become the ultimate hero of sweet, tasty destruction with every slash. Swipe up across the screen like a true ninja warrior, and choose from three game modes (Classic, Zen or Arcade) in single player, and worldwide leaderboards using Openfeint. A bonus Dojo section includes unlockable blades and backgrounds.

Kids ABC Learn and Trace is both educational and entertaining. Your child can use the S Pen to practice tracing both upper- and lower-case letters, then match a picture to the starting letter (e.g. Apple for “A”).

Make Me Bald does exactly that. Snap a photo, then use your S Pen as a razor to “shave” yourself. You can go bald in seconds and do much more with this funny-face image booth. Make portrait photos bald and add funny moustaches. Import pics from your photo gallery or camera, or from Facebook. Play around with images, then share them with friends. It’s good, silly fun.

NOOK offers more than two million books to choose from, so you can take your library wherever you go. Turn pages with the flick of a finger, or highlight words with the SPen and look them up in a dictionary. Access books, magazines and newspapers from your Galaxy Note, and get a free trial subscription of your favorite publication. There’s even an in-app e-book lending feature.

Posterous Spaces is an easy way to share your artistic creations made on your Galaxy Note, photos, videos and even ideas with family, friends and other groups. You can control whom you share with every time, and post anything within seconds. Make viewing private or public, and you can broadcast posts to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and other websites as much as you’d like.

Sign This Photo lets you take a photo and get that picture signed. Whether you’re bumping into your favorite rock star or author, you can snap a pic and then have them autograph it using the S Pen. Also, if you’re not so good with names, you can use this app for networking: just take someone’s photo when you meet them, and write their name on the pic so you’ll remember it the next day.

Sketchbook Mobile is here to help you unlock and enhance your creativity. This popular, professional-grade painting and drawing application gives you a full set of sketching tools, and a streamlined and intuitive user interface. It’s a great app for drawing pros, and for those who just love to draw for fun.

Sketchinary is an ideal party app. This simple Pictionary (or charades) score keeper and word generator provides more than 500 words to choose from. It’s very easy to use.

Soccer Coach’s Clipboard will help your team score the best moves on the field. With this app, simply use your S Pen to move players across the screen to demonstrate plays. Save your plays into a playbook and load them quickly from the sidelines. Draw and erase lines, choose full or half-field mode, and change animation speed or player and line colors.

Solo is Android’s most popular virtual guitar. This app is good for jamming sessions when you don’t have your guitar with you—or it’s a helpful reference for when you do. Use the S Pen to mimic the use of a pick when playing the guitar. Features include classical, acoustic and electric guitars; a huge chord library with diagrams; the ability to play along to any music loaded on your phone; and much more. Customize the interface to fit your playing style.

Square is a great tool for small-business owners, allowing you to accept credit cards and cash—safely and securely—on your Galaxy Note™ with the free Square Card Reader. Setup is fast and easy. Plus, you’ll get built-in analytics that will help you track sales, collect tips and tax, and send electronic receipts via email or text message.

Tap Tap Revenge lets you shake to the music of hundreds of your favorite artists. Tap the targets on your touch screen to the beat of the music, scoring points for accuracy and timing. Add difficulty levels and engage in live online battlegrounds. You can chat with players around the world, and check out global leaderboards with up-to-the-minute scores.

Where’s My Water? This app provides educational, brain-teasing fun. This challenging physics-based puzzler has vibrant graphics, intuitive controls, an engaging storyline, cute characters and a great soundtrack. Test your skills with multiple levels as you watch out for algae, toxic ooze, triggers and traps—the S Pen will help you carve out a path to keep the alligator under water. You’ll swipe, slosh and splash your way through a variety of exciting scenarios.

Free Extended Battery With Galaxy Nexus Purchas...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:19:35 +0000

For A Limited Time Samsung Direct Has A Special Offer For Those Who Purchase A New Galaxy Nexus

From time to time I receive email notifications from Samsung with special offers, and this deal is a pretty good one, so I thought I would pass this one along. I registered recent purchases of a few Samsung products and I suppose this is how I was included on their mailing list, but if you visit their website you can sign up to receive these notifications also.

The Deal

For a limited time, when you buy a New Samsung Galaxy Nexus at $299.99, Samsung will throw in a free Galaxy Nexus i515 Battery Bundle Kit. The Samsung i515 Lithium Ion Extended Battery Cover is engineered to offer additional protection for your extended lithium ion battery. This Extended Battery Cover is to be used with the 2100 mAh extended battery included.

To qualify for the deal there is a 2 year service contract requirement with Verizon Wireless. For more information or to make a purchase, you can find the special offer HERE.

Source; Samsung Direct

Opera Mini 7 Comes to Android Devices

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:41:23 +0000

Opera Mini 7 browser launched for Android smartphones

Opera Software launched Opera Mini 7 for Android today, the latest version of its third-party browser.

Opera Mini 7 offers a number of performance and usability improvements over older versions, and Opera says that its advanced compression technology can even save users money on their data plans.
Opera Mini 7 does away with the limit of 9 websites for the Speed Dial feature, as users can now have an unlimited number of Speed Dials set up for quick access to commonly used sites. Opera says that this feature negates the needs for bookmarks and having to deal with typing in web addresses all the time.

Opera Mini 7's compression technologies shrink the data used to load websites by up to 90 percent, which Opera says improves page load times and save users on data charges. You can download the Opera Mini 7 browser for free from the Google Play Store now.

Source : Google Playstore; Cnet

Temple Run Launches on Android

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:35:26 +0000

'Temple Run' comes to Android devices

The immensely popular iPhone game Temple Run has made the leap to Android devices.
Developer Imangi Studios has announced that the free-to-play game, which has surpassed 45 million downloads in Apple's App Store, hit the Android Marketplace earlier today. Currently the game is compatible with more than 700 Android devices.

"There is a huge amount of users and players that have Android phones and are really wanting to play the game," says Keith Shepherd, who co-founded the Washington, D.C.-based studio with his wife, Natalia Luckyanova, in an interview recently. "We get a hundred or more e-mails every day about when is it coming out for Android."

The game, released in August 2011, has a simple premise that results in addictive replayability. You are an Indiana Jones-like explorer who has stolen an idol from a temple and now a pack of evil monkeys is chasing you down. You swipe left and right – and forward to jump – and tilt the device to pick up coins as you evade the monkeys.

Temple Run first debuted for Apple devices with paid and ad-supported versions and has since been downloaded more than 40 million times, making it the seventh most-popular game in the App Store. In Google Play (the new name for Google's Android Market), Temple Run is fourth on the list of Top New Free games. It already has an average rating of 4.3 out of 5, generated by 20,138 user reviews.

Source: Google Play Store; Mobile Gamer

Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G: A Solid Phone For An...

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:28:23 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy Blaze Brings Android Goodness Without Emptying Your Wallet

If you've been in the market for Android phones, you'll often find that most recent choices aren't particularly pocket-size friendly. With the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G, T-Mobile is offering a solution to those who want a solid Android phone that fits naturally in your hands.

Some may say it's a step backward for Samsung, which recently released the humongous Galaxy Note. But the Galaxy S Blaze offers decent specifications for the price (despite still running the old version of Android - it's a Gingerbread device), and is a great mid-range phone for those who prefer a nice, compact Android without breaking the bank.

Hardware: The Small But Vivid Screen And Grippy Case Design

Even though the Galaxy S Blaze boasts a modest 3.97-inch display, it's definitely more than enough if you're not looking to use your phone to replace a camera or entertainment center. The phone offers an AMOLED display, but is said by reviewers not be as responsive as those found on higher end devices. This shouldn't prove to be a problem for most users, but could be frustrating if you were to try to play a game like "Fruit Ninja".

While the Galaxy S Blaze has an all-plastic build, it's the back casing that impresses. Compared to the more expensive Galaxy S II, which has a shiny and slippery plastic back, the Galaxy S Blaze has a rubbery finish that makes the grip more firm. However, this does add a little weight to the phone, which some users may actually prefer this so that it won't feel like it would easily fly out of their hands.

The Camera

The Galaxy S Blaze boasts a 5 MP camera, which takes relatively nice photos on the go. It's got everything most smartphones these days should have: High resolution of 2592x1944 pixels per photo, HD recording capabilities, image stabilization, built-in flash, and auto-focus. It's also got a front-facing, 1.3-megapixel camera that takes decent pictures as well.

Testers said the camera boots up in about half a second, but the photos taken aren't as colorful as the screen display itself. Both outdoor and indoor photos can get a bit grainy, though if you're more well versed with photography you can try playing around with the balance and exposure levels and color filters like sepia or black and white.

Some of the other pre-installed apps include Netflix and Lookout T-Mobile TV, and with the 4G streaming power from T-Mobile, movies should play quite well on Netflix with very little buffering.
T-Mobile and Samsung say the Galaxy S Blaze is capable of up to 42 Mbps in speed. (That's really, really fast, by the way.) In testing T-Mobile's 4G network by streaming a movie on the Netflix app, testers found the screening to be smooth, fast, and without any odd pixelation. T-Mobile's network is said to handle it well, but didn't get close to that 42 mbps.

For mundane tasks like watching videos and downloading apps, the Blaze performs, but don't expect a mid-range phone like this to compare with its more powerful counterparts.

Battery Life

Tests showed that with 4G turned on and no Wi-Fi, the phone was able to run several free games for approximately 20 minutes each (despite the fact that free apps supposedly suck the heck out of your phone's battery life), receive e-mails, handle various Foursquare check-ins, read Twitter updates, make random calls and still finish the day without the battery level getting into the red zone.

Should You Buy It?

If you're looking for a compact, Android phone in the Galaxy S family, the Blaze is a good option for those who aren't looking to shell out more than $200 bucks for a new phone.

At $150 with contract, the Galaxy S Blaze is a mid-range phone with strong capabilities given its spec and size. While some of its competition includes the HTC Sensation 4G with an 8 MP camera, the Galaxy S Blaze blows the Sensation's battery life out of the water.

The lack of Ice Cream Sandwich, the newest version of Android, is a bummer, but hopefully with many smartphones receiving updates soon, the Galaxy S Blaze might just be on that list. No promises, obviously.

The Samsung Galaxy S Blaze is available exclusively through T-Mobile starting March 28.

Source : Samsung USA; Pocket Mobile

Donation For The Family Of @Cassdroid

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:42:53 +0000

Cassy Wright - @Cassdroid

As most of you in the Android Community are aware, we lost a very special member of the Android Family very early in the AM this past Sunday, March 25th.

Cassy, a.k.a @Cassdroid was a unique spirit, and a beloved member of the Android community. Cassy was a huge supporter of Android, contributing to various forums, Podcasts, and she was a larger than life personality on Twitter, where most of us had the most interaction with her.

Cassy is survived by Brian Jolly ( @BkJolly ) & her daughter Ivy Saunders ( @IvyDroid ). During this sad time of loss, many have felt the need to reach out to help & support Cassy's family. Android developer & special friend of Casssy & Brian, David Hacker ( @dhacker29 ) has set up an account for those who wish to send donations to the family to help relieve some of the burden on the family. If you would like to send a donation, you can find the details & donation link on the Android Development website Droid Hive.

Cassdroid will be sadly missed by many, my thoughts and prayers are with her family, and I sincerely hope that the love and support from our community will help ease their burdens in this difficult time.