Android Guru: June 2012

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Wednesday Poll: Favorite Announcement From Google I/O Day 1?

jelly bean logo Wednesday Poll: Favorite Announcement From Google I/O Day 1?

Now that day 1 of Google I/O has just about wrapped, we would love to hear your thoughts on everything that you saw. What blew you away today? Was it Jelly Bean? The Nexus 7 tablet? Maybe even the drone-line Nexus Q? Will anything ever top the Project Glass demo that Sergey Brin, skydivers, biker riders, and wall scaling maniacs put on? There was a lot to take in, hopefully you were able to follow along during our coverage.

Let us know what has you most excited!

Video: First Look at the New Google Voice Search and Google Now in Jelly Bean

Google+ lands official tablet app and events with Google calendar support

Did you really think we'd get through a Google event without seeing what's new with Google+? Google is always touting the numbers and services behind its social network whenever they get the chance, and today at I/O is no different.

It seems like the network was just launching yesterday, but tomorrow, Google+ will be one year old. So how has it fared over the past year? According to Google, not too bad. Here's how the numbers break down:

So far, 250 million people have signed up for Google+.
Of those 250 million, 150 million sign on at least once a month.
Of those 150 million, 75 sign in at least once a day.

Those numbers are poised to go up, thanks to a little help from the new Google+ tablet app.

Available on Android today, the Google+ tablet app looks great. It's fast, it's fluid and it puts content from your stream front and center. For those of you not using an Android tablet, an iPad version of the app is coming out soon.

Also announced today, Google+ will be adding support for events that integrate with your Google calendar. By using a before, during and after mode, Google+ events will help keep photos and information organized surrounding the event. For example, during the event time, Google+ will ask if you'd like to share any photos taken to the event page. And afterwards, you'll be reminded to share and tag pictures.

Google+ events will be available to the public sometime in the near future.

Google Launches Magazines and TV Shows to Google Play

Google Play 650x389 Google Launches Magazines and TV Shows to Google Play

Google has added new content to the already extensive Google Play by now allowing for the download and purchasing of Magazines and TV shows

Posted by Alain Power at 9:21 PM

Video: Here is the New Jelly Bean Boot Animation

Before we get into an unboxing and a more in-depth look of Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) and the Nexus 7, we thought we would share the new boot animation that comes with it. We already showed you the new Easter egg, so tossing this out there as well just made sense. Ready for this triangular fun?

Posted by Alain Power at 9:21 PM

Video: Here is the Jelly Bean Easter Egg – Floating Jelly Bean Party is Go

Most of the Galaxy Nexus devices laying around the Google I/O show floor are already running Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). Tim and I stopped to play with one for a minute and realized that since this is a completely new version with a new name, that it should also have a new Easter egg. Sure enough, it does. Check it out.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Asus Rolls Out Transformer Pad 4.3.30 Update, Camera Improvments and Fixes

TF300 Update 6 22 650x406 Asus Rolls Out Transformer Pad 4.3.30 Update, Camera Improvments and Fixes

Asus is on a roll as of late, with constant updates being pushed to their line of Transformer devices. The newest to receive love is the TF300 aka Transformer Pad, which is getting the bump to firmware number 9.4.3.30. With little bug fixes for Chrome, WiFi, and camera improvements, put another notch in Asus' belt for being one of, if not thee best Android tablet manufacturer to date. If you haven't already, go grab the update now.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Nexus 7 makes an appearance in Picasa Web Albums

In case any of you curmudgeons were still doubting the existence of a 7″ Nexus Tablet, more evidence is mounting for the soon to be announced slate. A picture of a ceiling was taken from inside Google's Building 44, and EXIF data suggests the pictures were taken from a device named Nexus 7. While EXIF data are easy to manipulate, The Verge

T-Mobile

If you're a T-Mobile customer, get ready for the sale of a lifetime. T-Mobile offering the best deals around by reducing the price of all its 4G smartphones to a nicely rounded zero! That's right, you can get the new HTC One S or even the T-Mobile SpringBoard for free (after a mail-in rebate).

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Verizon unveils Share Everything plans, available June 28th

Shared data plans will soon be a reality, if you happen to be a Verizon Wireless customer. Verizon has finally officially unveiled their shared data plans, set for a June 28th availability date. Verizon's new Share Everything plans will give each plan an unlimited amount of data and texts, with fees increasing with the amount of data you need to get through the month. When pricing a data plan, customers will be presented with the following two-step process:

Step 1: Select 1 smartphone and up to 9 other devices

Smartphone: $40 per month
Basic/Feature phone: $30 per month
Jetpacks/Notebooks/Netbooks/USB hotspots: $20 per month
Tablets: $10 per month

Step 2: Select the amount of data you need

1GB: $50 per month
2GB: $60 per month
4GB: $70 per month
6GB: $80 per month
8GB: $90 per month
10GB: $100 per month

Once you've made selections, simply add your fees together to come up with your monthly bill. For example, a two smartphone plus one tablet plan at 4GB of monthly data would be $160 per month ($40 for each smartphone, $10 for the tablet, and $70 for 4GB of shared data). All smartphones and tablets on the plan will feature the hotspot functionality at no additional charge, so long as you stay below your allotted data threshold.

The resulting prices are generally less than they would be under the current plan structure, generally falling around $10-20 per month cheaper, though the savings are potentially much greater on the high end. A plan with 5 smartphones would be about $340 per month in the old world, and comes in at around $300 for 10GB of data, or a bit less if you need less data.

I for one am looking forward to shared data plans, as they have the potential to save customers lots of money on their monthly bills. With AT&T and other carriers rumored to be working on plans of their own, shared data is likely here to stay.