Android

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.

If you guys missed Google’s amazing developer conference this week, catch up here… they released some awesome apps (a few listed below). But this is the App Weekender and that means brand new apps we received this week! We haven’t rinsed these apps in our thorough review cycle but they’re worth giving a shot! Be sure to install... View ArticleApp Weekender: 30 brand new apps you should try this weekend is a post from: AndroidTapp.com Check Out More Related: App Weekender: introducing 20+ apps & games you should download this weekend 6 Best Video Calling Android Apps App Weekender: 30 games & apps you should try this weekend

Yesterday, readers reached out to inform us that their pre-orders of the Samsung Galaxy S4 on Verizon were being processed and potentially getting primed for shipping. They weren’t messing around, as orders for many of them have begun to ship with estimated arrival times of early next week. The device was supposed to arrive around [...] Verizon Galaxy S4 Pre-orders Already Shipping! is a... Click the post title to continue through and join the conversation!

When Google announced the Nexus Experience Galaxy S4 (which shall henceforth be referred to as the NES4), information on exactly which hardware variant Google was using for the device left something to be desired. We know that it includes 16GB of storage, has a removable battery, a microSD slot, appears to retain its physical button configuration and has access to T-Mobile and AT&T LTE. By process of elimination, we’re fairly certain at this point that the NES4 is merely a software modded T-Mobile Galaxy S 4. What makes us think the NES4 is a T-Mobile Galaxy S 4? Good question. After poking around online, in my own personal research, I found that the T-Mobile Galaxy S4 is the only variant of the device capable of supporting all the necessary bands for T-Mobile and AT&T. Both AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s Galaxy S 4 variants are essentially the same phone, but AT&T has some locks in place that keep the S4 stuck on AT&T. I wasn’t positive how these locks worked, or if that even was the case, but research from AnandTech’s Brian Klug seems to confirm and explain why the SGH M919, or T-Mobile Galaxy S4, is most likely the same device as the NES4. 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.Brian KlugAnandTech The chances that the NES4 is an entirely new model of Galaxy S4 are slim to none. There’s no way Google is having Samsung manufacture a new model of GS4, just to keep the same exact hardware configuration. Hugo Barra, who was spotted walking around I/O with the device, said the software wasn’t finished yet. Another good sign Google simply took an existing device and is working away on it. At this point, you may be wondering what this means for you. If the NES4 really is an SGH M919, then a simple software flash should turn your T-Mobile S4 into Nexus Experience device, complete with updates directly from Google and all. If the NES4 is an entirely different device, which again, we don’t think it is, then you’d be out of luck. There are still AOSP ROMs for the T-Mobile S4 as it is, so it won’t be that big of a change either way. Still, for someone like me who doesn’t mess with custom ROMs much anymore, an Odin flash to a Nexus Experience device where Google will take care of the updates sounds very nice. Especially on a device that can be bought with T-Mobile installation plans, not $650 upfront. We’ll be following news around the Nexus Experience S4 closely, so stay tuned for more.

Could a Nexus Q successor be on the way? Google's kept pretty quiet about the Nexus Q since removing it from sale last summer. Last we heard, the company was still working on refining its streaming sphere, and that was back in January. In recent days, the lack of Nexus Q support in the new Google Play Music app had led some to believe that Google had abandoned the project. However, freshly-filed FCC documents indicate that Google could be preparing another media player device for release. The "H840 Device" is revealed in FCC documents to function "as a media player," and was given with the model number H2G2-42, an apparent Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference. As is customary for unreleased products, Google has requested that diagrams and photos of the device remain confidential. Testing documents reveal that it was tested hooked up to a 24-inch Dell monitor, and that it possesses Wifi a/b/g/n support and a USB port. What's more, it gets its power from a separate power supply unit, so we can safely assume this isn't a smartphone, tablet or wearable device. Google unveiled the ill-fated Nexus Q at least year's Google I/O conference, where attendees were given complementary spheres. The device went up for pre-order shortly afterwards, but before going on sale Google withdrew the device and shipped Qs out to pre-order customers free of charge. Despite being a no-show at this year's I/O, Google's official stance remains that it's "hard at work" improving the multimedia orb. So could this "H840" device be the result of the past year's efforts? We'll have to wait and see. Source: FCC; via: Liliputing