Android

The special Galaxy S4 “Nexus” edition may be a software-modified T-Mobile Galaxy S4 model (SGH-M919), a new report shows, which could be good news for existing and future T-Mobile Galaxy S4 owners. According to AnandTech, the available evidence suggests that the Galaxy S4 Nexus edition is actually based on the T-Mobile version, a device that best meets the hardware criteria. Google revealed little on stage when announcing its partnership with Samsung to sell a Galaxy S4 version running stock Android OS. The device doesn’t have an actual product name to differentiate it from the other Galaxy S4 units out there – which is why we call it Galaxy S4 Nexus or Galaxy S4 Google Edition – but it’s not a Nexus-branded device as you’d expect it to be. Moreover, a model number for the handset is not available either, and we’re yet to see an FCC filing for it. What’s known about it is that Google will start selling it from the Google Play Store on June 26 for $649, or what an unsubsidized Galaxy S4 already costs. n terms of hardware, the handset will offer 16GB of storage and support LTE with both AT&T and T-Mobile. In addition to being carrier-unlocked, the handset will also ship with its bootloader unlocked. Obviously, it will run Android 4.2.2 (or Android 4.3 right out of the box?) and will receive “prompt system updates” like any Nexus handset. With all that in mind, let’s look at what AnandTech says about the handset: SGH-M919 has always included support for LTE on Bands 2, 4, 5, and 17 (that’s 1900 PCS, 1700/2100 AWS, 850 Cellular, and 700 Lower B and C) and WCDMA on Bands 2, 4, and 5. At another level, this is the same hardware as the AT&T variant but without the arbitrary RAT (Radio Access Technology) locking that AT&T has put in place to restrict use of Band 4 WCDMA which T-Mobile needs for a good experience. This translates to that support for AT&T and T-Mobile LTE and WCDMA. That also means Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064AB) and no Exynos 5. In case that will be confirmed, then current and future T-Mobile Galaxy S4 owners will have some reasons to be happy, as they’ll be able to run the Nexus firmware on their handsets instead of the TouchWiz-filled default one faster than anyone else. Of course, it makes sense to assume that the community will bring the Galaxy S4 Nexus firmware to other Galaxy S4 version in the very near future, so a stock Android Galaxy S4 experience may be just around the corner for handset buyers. Moreover, some Galaxy S4 fans may end up purchasing a subsidized T-Mobile version in order to run the Nexus firmware on it without having to pay the full $649 for the handset, especially considering T-Mobile’s UNcarrier approach to selling smartphones, which doesn’t come with a mandatory two-year agreement. Speaking about custom ROMs for the Galaxy S4, we’ll remind you that the T-Mobile Galaxy S4 version already has support for CyanogenMod 10.1 so it would make sense to assume that the Nexus firmware could be just as easily installed on the handset. However, nothing is official just yet, and we’ll have to wait for the Nexus 4 to hit stores before telling you with absolute certainty which U.S. Galaxy S4 version it resembles most. On a different note, we’re not encouraging you to install custom ROMs on any of your devices, we’re just informing you on the available options out there, so don’t blame us if anything goes wrong during such procedures. Whatever path you decide to follow, remember that whatever will happen to your device(s) will fall under your responsibility and yours alone.

We were the first to report the codename of “Babel” as Google’s new unified messaging service, which ended up as Hangouts at public launch, but if you needed actual proof that Babel was around for some time, we thought we’d share this screenshot. It’s taken from my Google Dashboard listing of sites authorized to access [...] Incase You Needed Proof That Hangouts was... Click the post title to continue through and join the conversation!

Happy Saturday my Android friends. Show is up a day late , which I apologize for. Not much to talk about, since I already went over a lot of the Google I/O information on the ManDroid quickie video. What was your favorite part of the first Google I/O keynote? Enjoy the show! News Topics White Nexus 4 with Android .43 due out June 10th

A game and a couple of tools highlight this abbreviated list of picks The combination of Google I/O going on in San Francisco and BlackBerry Live in Orlando this week has our team a little sparse, but we think there are a few great picks to be seen this week regardless. Whether its just four apps or ten, we do our best every weekend to bring you apps that each of the Android Central writers have been using regularly the previous week. Stick around after the break and see how this week's picks stack up against the rest. read more

Google’s Nexus Q media streamer was short-lived, and canceled shortly after being revealed at last years Google I/O event. With no word on a replacement at this years show, we’re now seeing its successor hit the FCC. A new Google device branded as H840 DEVICE has cleared the FCC this week (product code H2G2-42, an apparent play on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and it has our interest piqued. The listing doesn’t reveal tons of details, but mentions that this new device “functions as a media player” among other things. The FCC listing is being backed and protected by a confidentiality report, so we’re stuck with very little details, for now. Unlike many device that clear the FCC, this wasn’t sent through with any test photos, or they are being withheld from our site, so all we have is the picture you see above. It certainly has Google all over it, mentions media player, and us currently under testing by the FCC. As you all know a new Nexus Q wasn’t announced this year at Google I/O, but neither was a new Nexus phone or a new version of Android. It still could be coming though. Google could be preparing to announce a new Nexus Q type media device, as well as the rumored Android 4.3 and white Nexus 4 on June 10th. At least according to multiple tips, leaks, and reports. Details from Droid-Life state this device could be codenamed “Wolfie” and be Google’s answer to the Nexus Q and the OUYA game-console in one. This new H840 could be tied into Google Games, and double as a media streamer, among other things. Personally, we feel Google needs a device that does Google TV, Games, and streaming all in one. Now that would make more sense. Google announced a new music-streaming service at I/O this year, Google Music All Access, now we just need this new media streamer to go along with it to rock out our living rooms. Stay tuned for more details. SOURCE: FCC VIA: SlashGear Story Timeline Google Nexus Q banished from Nexus landing page Google Nexus Q to be a no show at Google I/O Google Play Music 'All Access' takes on Spotify for a monthly fee What Google didn't announce at I/O 2013 Nexus 4 in White and Android 4.3 rumored for June 10 release

New plans available to existing customers now; new customers can take advantage June 6 As an update to a previous blog post detailing changes to its prepaid plans, Verizon stealthily made yet another change that will give prepaid customers even more data. Verizon keeps things simple on its prepaid smartphone offerings, with two tiers -- $60 and $70. Both have unlimited talk and text, and previously either 500MB or 2GB of data. Verizon is now bumping those up to 2GB and 4GB, respectively, with no price increase. The plan changes go into effect right away for existing customers that have either of the two plans, but new customers will have to wait until June 6th to have the option available when starting a line. If you're new to Verizon's prepaid plans, you have to also remember that they are restricted to just its 3G service, and there's no indication of when (if ever) LTE will be included. With that being said, these are still a couple of good options that just got a little more competitive in the steadily expanding prepaid market. Source: Verizon

Google this week at Google I/O unveiled its unified messaging service called Hangouts (our app review here). The Google Talk replacement has had a rocky launch, causing update woes for many, especially those with a tablet. Rest assured that Google has quietly pushed out a new update for Hangouts, which will make the app compatible with tablets of varying sizes. Keep in mind that users may still be experiencing compatibility issues, as the service is being pushed out over several days. So it shouldn’t be long before users running Android 2.3 or higher see Google Talk get replaced with the Hangouts interface. The excitement for Hangouts has dwindled a little bit as users learned that, unlike iMessages, it does not have SMS support yet. The sort-o good news is that Google Hangouts Community Manager Dori Storbeck confirmed that SMS support was coming, but quickly rescinded her comment saying, “we actually have nothing to announce at this time.” However, there’s still hope for SMS integration, as the app still requests a number of SMS permissions. Have you downloaded the new update for Hangouts? Has it fixed the tablet woes that were previously an issue? Better yet, have you gotten to use the new messaging service?

When a stereotypical madman has access to some conveniently forgotten nuclear weapons, the only thing that can stop him is a flying tank. There is probably no other game in which that sentence makes a lick of sense, but it's the basic premise behind Fire and Forget: Final Assault. This is an arcade-style action game based on the classic franchise. In this title you must blast your way through waves of bad guys in a post-apocalyptic wasteland to reach Captain Nucleo's nuclear-equipped hovercraft. It certainly sounds like it has all the makings of a killer experience, but is it? Controls And Gameplay Each of the 10 stages consist of your car, the Thunder Master III, rocketing down the highway in pursuit of Captain Nucleo. Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:[New Game] Classic Amiga Racer Reimagined In Fire & Forget: The Final Assault [Review] SilverTree Media's Sleepy Jack Is A Phenomenal Game Full Of Dreamy Creativity And Imagination Dynamite Jack Review: So Good I Won't Cheapen It With A Pun About 'Explosive Fun' [Review] Polarbit's Tank Riders Has Good Gameplay But Needs Work Fire And Forget Review: Rough Around The Edges, But Not Forgettable was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

A new device made by Google recently made its way through the hands of the FCC with model number H2G2-42, product name of “H840 DEVICE,” and a description that says it “functions as a media player.” Yes, a media player. This new device is powered by an external source (AC adapter), so it’s likely not a [...] New Media Streaming Device Made by Google Hits FCC, Please... Click the post title to continue through and join the conversation!

Normally we're a bit wary of reporting on the certification filings that go through the Federal Communications Commission, because frankly, they don't often mean anything. But an entry spotted by the fine folks at TabletGuide.nl caught our attention purely on its geeky merit. There's very little information available about the "H840 DEVICE" - it's made (or at least submitted) by Google, it's listed as a Digital Transmission System and "functions as a media player," it has a WiFi connection, and it runs on AC power. Oh, and the model number is H2G2-42. Douglass Adams fans will recall H2G2 as shorthand for The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy series, a much-loved collection of five books and innumerable spin-offs that lampoons science fiction (and just about everything else). Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:Motorola Updates Android Software Upgrade Page Confirmed: Sprint Galaxy Nexus Receiving Jelly Bean Update Today, September 6th Platform Numbers Are In For January 2013: Gingerbread Down To 45.4%, ICS Down (Wha-?) To 29.0%, Jelly Bean Up to 13.6% Updated Jelly Bean Factory Images Show Up For The Nexus S and Nexus S 4G [Don't Panic] Google-Branded H840 Media Player Appears In The FCC, Bearing Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy References was written by the awesome team at Android Police.