Android

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

Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 A new GLBenchmark test result reveals that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 model would come with an Intel Atom Z2560 chip inside, which may be a surprising choice for the Android device maker. Model number GT-P5200 has been spotted in GLBenchmark results both in Wi-Fi-only and 3G versions – we’ll remind you that the GT-P5200 is said to be the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, although this particular tablet version is yet to be unveiled by Samsung. According to the benchmarks, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 is said to pack a 10.1-inch display with 1280 x 800 resolution, a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 processor with Hyper-Threading, a 400MHz PowerVR SGX 544 MP2 graphics processing unit and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean under the hood.   When it comes to processor choice, the already unveiled Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 comes with a 1.2GHz dual-core Marvell PXA986 CPU, while the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is an unannounced product, but it’s rumored to pack a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. The Intel Atom Z2560 said to power the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 is part of the same Clover Trail+ family of mobile chips, with its bigger brother, the Intel Atom Z2580 (clocked at 2GHz) being used by other mobile devices including the Lenovo K900. The Lenovo K900 has managed to match in AnTuTu benchmarks the Galaxy S4 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 version) and we’re mentioning this because just recently, the GT-P5200 has reportedly scored 24616 in AnTuTu. Comparatively, the Samsung-made Nexus 10 sporting a 1.7GHz dual-core processor scores around 13000 in AnTuTu. The pricier Galaxy Note 8.0 packing a 1.6GHz quad-core processor scores around 18000 in the same benchmark test (see our review here). Moreover, as you can see in the screenshot above, the GT-P5200 apparently outscores the GT-P5100 (Galaxy Tab 2 10.1) and GT-N8000 (Galaxy Note 10.1) in 3D graphics performance, with the Google Nexus 10 being a better match. From the looks of it, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 may be Samsung’s first Intel-based tablet, but the device seems ready to offer a respectable performance, at least on paper. That said, we’re still going to have to wait for Samsung to make the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 official. If recent rumors revealing potential release dates for the three Galaxy Tab 3 models (already announced or rumored) are to be believed, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 could hit European markets in early June (Wi-Fi version) and in late June (3G version), so an announcement may be very close.

It looks like the HTC Butterfly will be the first device in HTC’s lineup to be updated to HTC sense 5.0. According to Focus Taiwan, the new software update for the HTC Butterfly will give the device quite a few of the features which are currently unique to the HTC ...

The developers of Riptide GP2 released a video demoing the multiplayer support coming to the game thanks to the implementation of the new Play games services. If you watched the Google I/O keynote on Wednesday, you probably remember the awkward moment when Hugo Barra tried to demo cross-platform multiplayer gaming on stage using the hotly anticipated Riptide GP2. To the disappointment of the audience, the multiplayer session failed to work for some reason, leaving us curious about how the new Play games services will look and work. If you need a primer, Play games services is basically the Android equivalent of Xbox Live or a similar service. It provides a way for game developers to implement achievements, cross platform multiplayer, cloud saves, and leaderboards. The team behind Riptide GP2, Vector Unit, put up a little video to show us what Google couldn’t demo on stage due to technical difficulties. Check it out. As you can see, Play Services lets users instantly set up multiplayer games with up to four players. The system also supports game invites, which are received both in-game and outside of it via the Android notification system. The system works across devices, Android or iOS, and even with web-based games. The three players in the demo use a Tegra 4-powered Shield console, a Nexus 7 coupled with a Moga controller, and a Galaxy S4. Vector Unit says that it recorded the video in real time, meaning that the connection times are pretty good. The process of setting up and joining the multiplayer seems simple and fast, which is crucial for the success of the platform. To be fair though, connection times will also depend of server load, so it’s possible that the process will be slower when games services roll out on a wide scale. Games services is a feature that promises to boost the quality of Android gaming, at a time when more companies work on Android-powered gaming consoles. What do you make of it?

One of my primary gripes with Google Glass at its launch was the fact that it did not cater to individuals that already wear prescription glasses; as someone who has to constantly wear glasses, I already have enough trouble trying to watch 3D movies. There have been murmurs and reports that Google has been looking at prescription alternatives for awhile now, but they’ve been spotted in the wild at Google I/O. Engadget reports that this particular “prescription edition” is the Explorer Edition of Google Glass tacked onto the alternative frame. However, I am interested to know why Google didn’t integrate the Glass module into the glasses more, as the wearer will now be looking through two pieces of glass with their right eye. All the same, glasses wearers who have been eagerly waiting for news of this development can breath a sigh of relief, though it remains to be seen how long it will be before we see more of these in the community. Any other glasses wearing folk out there excited about this? Give us your eagle-eyed opinion in the comments. Source: engadget