Led by Samsung, Android smartphone shipments in 2012 Q2 surge to 68% of market

“Android continues to fire on all cylinders,” notes IDC senior research analyst Ramon Llamas in IDC’s just released report on smartphone operating system market share for the second quarter of 2012. The report reveals Android powered smartphones accounted for 68.1% of all smartphones shipped during the second quarter. Year-over-year numbers reveal the number of Android smartphones shipped in the second quarter doubled from 2011 to 2012, with...

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Verizon Discretely Offers 5 Additional Shared Data Plans for Heavy Users

Verizon Wireless recently got rid of the traditional individual data plan offerings in lieu of their new “Family Share” data plans. The Concept is simple, pick your device and the amount of data you and your family will consume. The plans come with unlimited minutes, text messages and allow the user to have up to ten devices to share the data. The new plans originally consisted of only six data tiers to choose from, ranging from a base of $50...

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Voice-based search, answers coming to Google Search app for iOS devices

Readers who are fortunate enough to have spent some time using Android 4.1 Jelly Bean are familiar with the Google Now app for conducting searches. The Google Now app lets users speak a question and then get an answer spoken back to them. Basically, the app is a voice-recognition interface similar to the Siri functionality Apple shows off in their commercials for iOS devices. Google has announced that some of the functionality present in the Google...

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Latest Reports Indicate Upcoming HTC “Endeavor C2″ Smartphone Is Possibly The Successor To The One X

Well friends, it looks like we’re about to see another HTC device arrive sometime later this year. While many of you are thinking this will likely be a brand-new device, it’s looking more and more like a refresh of a really good device already on the market. Reports are indicating the new device will be codenamed “Endeavor C2? and will include a faster Tegra 3 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, better battery and urBeats headphones. Additional leaks...

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Google launches trial to include Gmail messages in search results

Google announced today a new experiment with their search results. In addition to the results brought up from the web, users can now receive results from email messages in their Gmail account. The results will show up in a sidebar set apart from the normal web results. It remains unclear exactly how this new functionality may be useful to end users, though I have no doubt someone will figure out a way to make it meaningful. Along with the inclusion...

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Contest: Win one of seven Cruzer Lite TPU Cases! [4 Galaxy S III and 3 AT&T HTC One X]

Time for another Cruzer Lite contest guys! I would first like to thank Scotty Brown and Cruzer Lite for providing us some cases to give away to you guys. What’s up for grabs? We have a  total of 7 cases to give away, 4 for the Samsung Galaxy S III and 3 for AT&T’s HTC One X. All you have to do is visit our forums post and tell me why you think you need a free Cruzer Lite case. Don’t forget to mention which of the two phones you need it...

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NAMCO BANDAI jump on board with OUYA

A little over a month has passed since the OUYA revealed itself to the world and we’re now into the final countdown in the Kickstarter campaign. During the past month it seems that barely a day went by without another announcement of support for the Android Game Console and today is just another example. World famous Gaming Guru NAMCO BANDAI has partnered up with OUYA in order to bring classic titles such as PAC-MAN, GALAGA, TEKKEN and Ridge...

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Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE Rumored to Launch on Sprint on August 19th

Rumor has it that Sprint is planning on launching the Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE next Sunday on the 19th of August. Motorola officially announced the phone about two weeks ago claiming a Sprint launch in the “upcoming weeks.” If you’re not familiar with this device, here’s a quick rundown on its specs: 4.3-inch ColorBoost display (assuming qHD – 960 x 540) 1.5 GHz dual-core processor (assuming the Snapdragon S4) 1GB of RAM 8MP rear camera with...

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The Coolpix S800, the first Android based camera from Nikon

It looks like the popular camera company Nikon will soon be announcing their first Android based camera. The model will be dubbed as the Coolpix S800 (S800c), and the specs that you can expect on this will be: 25-250 mm  lens3.5" OLED screen The camera runs all Google Play apps The camera will probably run Android 2.3 Built-in GPS Built-in Wi-Fi I think this would be great and a smart move by Nikon. Perhaps this could be a first...

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Carphone Warehouse Expects to Ship the Sony Xperia Miro This Month, Pre-orders Already Started

Sony recently announced the new Xperia Miro, a 3.5-inch entry level device with a 5MP camera and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This is a great device for people not wanting to spend a lot of money and just want a decent phone. Well, up until now we were given no indications as to when the Sony Xperia Miro would be release. Carphone Warehouse has updated their product sign-up page to show potential buyers they can expect a ship date of August...

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Build your own arcade cabinet around Android

Yesterday we reported on an example of someone using a Google Nexus 7 tablet for an in-car entertainment system. Today we have another example of using an Android powered device for a purpose other than as originally designed. This time the tablet is used as the focal point for a homemade arcade cabinet. Readers who grew up in the age of arcades will certainly appreciate the sense of nostalgia of playing a video game on such a piece of “hardware.” Specific...

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Pictures of the Sony Xperia Mint (Xperia T) Surface

Sony hasn’t really made a huge splash with their phones when compared to the likes of Samsung or HTC, but that may all change with the Xperia Mint, also known as the Xperia T. This beast sports a 1.5GHz dual-core S4 processor, 13 megapixel rear camera, and 720p front facing camera, among other high end specs. Bulgarian site NixanBal has published a series of pictures of the T that really shows it off quite well. What we see here is...

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Sprint Reaffirms Pledge To Launch HD Voice In Limited Capacity By The End Of The Year, Will Ramp Up By 2013

You remember how we mentioned how Sprint would be bringing its HD Voice service to select handsets later this year? Well Sprint has reassessed its strategy and believes it needs to upgrade a “critical mass” of its markets with the necessary network improvements to support HD Voice. That means Sprint will likely make a major push of the service to early 2013, in addition to the limited rollout later this year. Sprint also mentions its HD Voice’s...

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False alarm; Motorola will not be releasing a new 4G LTE device this friday

Earlier today we reported that Motorola posted a teaser on its Facebook site indicating a new device coming Friday. While everyone assumed it would be the Motorola RAZR HD due to the numerous leaked photos, it turns out the post on Facebook was actually just a game. Becki Leonard, a spokesperson for Motorola, released a statement: “We’re sorry for the confusion, but it’s a Facebook game asking people to guess a current smartphone...

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Music streaming Spotify app now available for Amazon’s Kindle Fire

The music streaming service Spotify has released a version dedicated to Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Spotify is a streaming music service that gives you access to millions of songs and will be welcomed to the popular 7-inch tablet. You can pay a fee of $9.99 to access its premium features such as being able to listen to music with out the need of an internet connection. Other features include: Access to millions of songsListen offline – no Internet...

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Google Maps Real Time Traffic Data Expanded Worldwide, Adds 130 U.S. Cities

First we got offline maps, then indoor maps and walking directions for museums. Now Google Maps gets even better with expanded traffic coverage worldwide. The capitals of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama have been added, and a whopping 130 US cities will also be receiving traffic information and estimated travel times. So if you live in Kalamazoo, Michigan or Tuscaloosa, Alabama, welcome to the party! In addition, Google has improved and...

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Online Nandroid Backup allows Nandroid backups without booting into recovery

If you’re an avid Android “rooter” and “ROM flasher,” then I’m sure the Nandroid backup feature that custom recoveries offer has been your best friend. It’s essential to perform a Nandroid backup before you wipe and flash your newly desired ROM in case something goes wrong and you need to restore your phone into a previously working state. If you’re not familiar with how a traditional Nandroid backup works, you are required to turn the phone...

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Grab Jelly Bean for your 4G LTE Galaxy Nexus

When is a Nexus not a Nexus? When you buy it from Verizon, evidently. It’s long been a gripe of Verizon Nexus owners that their pride and joy often receives the latest and greatest Android update months after the GSM variant. The good news is that whilst Verizon might be standing in the way of progress, the developer community has got your back (as ever!). Shortly after landing on the AOSP servers, Android build JRO03L has been worked into a...

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Droid 4 ICS Soak Test Starting Soon?

Droid Life is reporting that a new software soak test is imminent for the Droid 4, which is assumed to be an ICS test build. It looks like notifications will be sent out via the Motorola Feedback Network, so make sure you opt-in to be among the first to receive the update. We’ll let you know when we find out exactly what’s in the update. View the original article h...

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Flexible Batteries Promise Thinner And Lighter Electronics

Flexible electronics that can be mildly-bended seems to be part of the future in mobile devices. A couple of months back, we reported on Samsung trademarking “Youm” for their flexible AMOLED displays. It’s no secret that Samsung has been working on flexible screens for quite some time now, and it wouldn’t surprise me if other companies are on the same track. Flexible devices are now just one step closer as Keon Jae Lee at the Korean...

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Google Nexus 7 morphed into ultimate in-car entertainment system

Lots of people have a love of both automobiles and a love of music. The two seem to go hand in hand. The popularity of the combination drives people to all sorts of attempts to build the ultimate car stereo system. In recent years, a new factor in the equation has emerged – the use of smartphones and tablets to serve as the nerve center for an in-car entertainment system. SonicElectronix recently completed a build for a Dodge RAM that incorporates...

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ESPN Fantasy Football App Gets 2012 Season Update

If you’re a fan of fantasy football, particularly of the ESPN variety, the official ESPN Fantasy Football app has just been updated for the 2012 season. The app contains everything you need to manage your league, as the list of features from the Play Store page shows: Team Management: Start/bench players, add, drop, and claim players off waivers, propose, accept or reject trades with other managers Fantasy Cast Live Scoring and Stats: Real-time...

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Share your photos and videos through Wi-Fi via Wi-Fi Shoot

  Sharing pictures and videos is something everyone does on a daily basis. Finding a way to do that in a simple and quick manner is always welcomed and sought after. Wi-Fi Shoot is an app that can connect two Wi-Fi Direct-compatible devices together to share photos and videos. The app is fairly simple to use, once the two devices are paired, a tap of a button is all that’s needed to pass the picture or video along. I love apps...

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Toshiba Thrive Gets Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich Ahead of Schedule

The original Toshiba Thrive 10-inch tablet was expected to get an update to Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich sometime this fall, but a tasty surprise showed up today for Thrive owners. A post on Toshiba’s Thrive forums confirms that ICS is indeed now rolling out, significantly ahead of schedule. Even though Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is the flavor of the month, it’s nice to see Toshiba pushing forward quicker than expected. Not much of a changelog...

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Google’s YouTube app will not be included in iOS6

Apple users will notice more than Google Maps missing from iOS6 when it rolls out later this year. The latest beta versions reveal a standard YouTube app will not be included. Apple says it is a case of the license expiring. What they say may not really be what then think though. This could be another step in Apple’s scorched earth policy to rid iOS of all Google apps. Apparently Apple believes they can overcome user affinity for the YouTube...

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AT&T&39's shared data plans available Aug. 23, online tool helps choose the one for you

AT&T today announced that its new shared data plans will be available starting Aug. 23. The new plans are not -- repeat, not -- mandatory. So if you have one of those grandfathered unlimited data plans now, you'll can still have it on Aug. 23. Here's the breakdown of what the plans will cost you: Amount of data in plan  Cost for data  Cost for each device  Base total 1GB              ...

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Help this LEGO Bugdroid Become a Reality, No Financial Support Needed

How cool is this!? Some Android fan decided to take it upon himself to design and build his very own Andy the Android mascot (aka Bugdroid) all out of custom ordered LEGO’S. No, you cant currently order a kit to build one for yourself but if you go and support the proposed project on LEGO’S CUUSOO site, the kit may eventually become a reality. CUUSOO is site run by LEGO’S that encourages people to design and build LEGO projects from the ground...

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InvisibleSHIELD Full Body for HTC One X review

If you don’t want to put it in a case but you want to protect it from getting scratched, look into the invisibleSHIELD Full Body protective film. Protective films aren’t new, but they do offer another way of protecting your smartphone. As long as you realize that a protective film won’t protect against drops and hard hits to the phone – it is worth considering if your main concern is scratching your phone. InvisibleSHIELD claims to have its origins...

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Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Case (with Metal Kickstand) for HTC One X

The August 6 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Seidio SURFACE Case (with metal kickstand) for HTC One X. This case protects your HTC One X from scratches and drops while adding minimal bulk and convenient viewing with its built-in kickstand. Durable plastic is accompanied by soft-touch coating, which enhances the look of your device without attracting lint. Comes in black, blue and red. The Seidio SURFACE Case (with metal kickstand) is...

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Start your week with the Greatest Android Podcast in the World!

Believe it or not, we're at 104 episodes of the Greatest Android Podcast in the World. Miss the live show Thursday night? Then you missed us trying to make sense of Samsung's fall releases. You missed us morning the delay -- or is it the untimely death? -- of Google's Nexus Q. And, as always, we answer more of your e-mails and voicemails.The Android Central Podcast is your weekly peek into the world of Android, where we break down the news that...

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Samsung Officially Launches The Galaxy Note 10.1, Brings Quad-Core Glory And Hefty RAM

It took long enough, but it Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy Note 10.1 for those looking for some stylus action in their tablets. The Galaxy Note 10.1 will initially arrive in a WiFi-only flavor and be available immediately in the U.K., Korea, Germany and of course, here in the States. Those of you looking for some cellular action will be able to score the 3G/HSPA+ and LTE variants of the tablet later on in the year. In case you’ve forgotten,...

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Holo Launcher HD Brings Jelly Bean-Based Launcher To Ice Cream Sandwich Devices

Mobint (of Holo Launcher fame) has developed the brand-spanking new Holo Launcher HD for Android 4.0+ devices. While the launcher brings a delicious stock feel to your Android device— it also is modeled after the newly released Jelly Bean OS. The launcher is also fully customizable with the ability to do things like add additional homescreens (up to 9), a nifty scrollable dock and for those of you who splurge on Holo Launcher Plus— some...

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Motorola And Verizon Send Out Questionaires To Select Verizon FIOS Customers, Tries To Gauge Feedback Of New Toy On The Way

It’s no secret that Verizon has major intentions to bring its FIOS service to Android devices. We first had a glimpse of this notion when Verizon announced its FIOS app for smartphones and tablets. Then we saw the always Verizon-friendly brand Motorola try to sneak out an Android TV tablet for TV rooms. Now there is actual proof indicating a WiFi-only tablet is on the way for Verizon FIOS subscribers. Apparently FIOS subscribers were sent a survey...

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Apex Launcher Beta Brings Home Launcher Based on Jelly Bean

Android Does, the makers of Apex Launcher, have done it again, this time getting you closer to Jelly Bean then ever. Early this week they released a new version of Apex Launcher Beta and it comes complete with the Android 4.1 transitions and the features you have come to know and love. This is because Apex Beta is rebuilt on top of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean based code. You will experience speed enhancements and many other features that JB brought,...

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Judge Declines To Take Further Action Of Samsung’s Leaked Info Against Apple, Apple Still Cries Foul

As Apple and Samsung continue to go back and forth in their respectful disagreements with one another, Apple was dealt an irrelevant small setback. If you recall, Apple and Judge Lucy Koh weren’t too pleased that Sammy released confidential court information to the media and both wouldn’t allow Sammy to use clever movie clips either. As a result, Apple requested Judge Koh lay the smackdown on Sammy— which Judge Koh seriously considered. However,...

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Hurricane app from American Red Cross now available in Google Play

The American Red Cross has decided to make the availability of apps on Android devices part of their mission to provide aid and assistance in times of emergency. They released a First Aid app a couple months ago to help walk people through a variety of medical emergencies. Now they are following up with their just released Hurricane app. The Hurricane app is primarily composed of three parts. First, there are several functions designed to help...

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