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Offical TOTA Android Thread (pg. 12)
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| Jem_hadar |
Rogers Samsung Galaxy S Captivate Release Pushed To Mid-October, Pre-Orders Later This Week
by Pedram on September 22nd, 2010
Guess Rogers realized it was getting a little awkward to not say anything past this. Yesterday finally came with an update that the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate for Rogers has been held back due to a manufacturing delay. Release estimated about a month from now and they say they might take pre-orders as early as this week. Here’s the official update Rogers RedBoard:
"UPDATE (September 21, 2010, 4:30 PM): We have news for those who have been asking about the release date for the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate. We anticipated launching earlier, but there has been a manufacturing delay.
As a result, we expect the device will be on sale by mid-October. Pre-orders have also been pushed back, and we hope to make them available later this week. We’ll update you with more news here when it’s available."
That’s about all you can read into that, although I would say pre-orders later this week sounds like something that won’t happen. Give it a week. I know many of you are anxious for this phone (you can include me in that bunch), how do you feel about this? |
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| Silky Johnson |
| I don't like the way the Captivate looks. I realize the Vibrant is a total ripoff of the iphone, but I like it way better. :p |
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| Jem_hadar |
| quote: | Originally posted by jennypie
I must say my only real beef with the Galaxy Vibrant is that there's no quick launch button for the camera. That is, the button for taking pics is on the touch screen...which makes it difficult to take one handed pics, or even self pics (there's a self-shot mode that employs the lens used for video calls - so you can actually see the shot while you're taking it). |
Not that I use my Milestone *that* often to snap photos, but still lacking a dedicated hard button for the camera would annoy me I think. Glad my phone has one.
I think some of the new Android HTC phones are lacking such a dedicated cam button on the unit itself too.
(Guess going for form over function?) |
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| Jem_hadar |
Easily Root Most Android Phones With Universal Androot, No Computer Needed!
by Pedram on September 23rd, 2010
Rooting your phone doesn’t have to be that hard. There’s been one-click methods before, but usually they rquire a computer to connect to and don’t support that many phones. This is the best method.
So what’s the point of rooting? Two big advantages:
(1) Download apps only for rooted phones that let perform tasks like wireless tethering and over-clocking your phone for faster CPU performance.
(2) Install custom ROMs using ROM managers. No more waiting for your carrier and manufacturer to update your firmware, no more being stuck with awful manufacturer skins or forced carrier apps, tons of new features and functionality including 720p recording and FM radio for phones that don’t support it.
It’s important to note that you need a basic level of Android understanding. Installing APKs and allowing for unknown source app installations are part of the process. This is as easy as it gets for this sort of thing. Rooting your phone can potentially harm your phone if you’re clueless so read everything and do a bit of research before running straight into it.
My Nexus One was rooted early on so I can’t show this being done on mine. Hit the XDA-Developers link below for a full list of supported phones, as well as the download links. Also check Lifehacker for an overview of the app as well as a bunch of guides to do cool stuff with your newly rooted phone. Let me know if it works for your phone or if you run into everything.
http://www.androidincanada.ca/news/...omputer-needed/ |
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| Silky Johnson |
| Seems that way. It's just awkward to take pics with without using both hands to hold the phone. Also no flash is boourns. They put a flash on their Omnia, why couldn't they put on on the Galaxy?? Thing is, Samsung's phone cameras are actually really awesome in terms of the picture quality...so why not add a flash? Oh well. |
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| Jem_hadar |
Gmail For Android Gets An Update, Requires 2.2
by Pedram on September 21st, 2010
 
Google updated their Gmail app for Android to version 2.3 and it’s fantastic. First off, my favourite feature support: priority inbox. This pushes the important email up to the top of your inbox and learns from your emailing habits as you use it more. It’s really neat and in the ever growing number of emails that I now recieve, I love being able to use this on my phone as well.
There’s also UI improvements where there’s always a reply and star option pinned to the top of the page, as well as the ability to see the quoted text if you’re looking at a long conversation thread. Great move in my opinion as I had trouble finding my reply button sometimes and found it annoying where it was placed before.
It’s also important to mention that Gmail is now a Market app. So what does this mean? This means that it’s no longer dependant on the OS and can be updated constantly like Maps without having to need a new version of the operating system. This is perfect for those phones that get stuck with old firmware. The bad news, you need 2.2 to get this app. But once you got that, you will never be left with old Gmail again, we hope at least.
It might seem like I’m just putting salt on the wound at this point but really, it’s not my fault! Google wants to release apps for Android 2.2+ and I have no control over this. If the app is significant enough to be covered on our blog, then it will be. Think of it as something you can look forward to when you finally get 2.2 or a motivation to root your phone even. Click here to download if you’re on your 2.2 running phone and if not, there’s the QR code for your convenience. |
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| Jem_hadar |
iDEN Motorola i1 Coming To Airtel For $299 On A 3-Year Term, $399 Without
by Pedram on September 20th, 2010
Surprise, surprise. Look who finally shows up. Just as expected, Airtel has dropped the iDEN Motorola i1 on us. I find the pricing to be quite odd however, $299 on a 3-year contract and $399 without a contract. So in trade for $100, you get to skip the whole contract thing and be free.
The i1 has a 3.1-inch screen with a 320×480 resolution, 5MP camera, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, push-to-talk capabilities and it meets military specification 810F.
Now $399 is a pretty decent price for a no-contract phone, specially a push-t0-talk Android phone even if it is running Android 1.5 Cupcake. But $299 after you sign three years with Airtel? Just recently, the Vibrant went on sale for $99 at Futureshop! And that’s one of the highest-end Android phones you can get in Canada. I guess if you need push-to-talk or a really rugged handset and want Android as well, you don’t have a lot of choice but if those aren’t thing you need, I would be puzzled by someone picking this out of the competition.
If I’m totally out of line on this, I would love to hear your side of it in our comments below. Now we’ll have to see how long before Telus finally launches this phone, maybe they’ll have a better pricing scheme. |
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| Silky Johnson |
| That thing is ugly as . |
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| Jem_hadar |
HTC Desire HD and Desire Z Announced, Desire Z Leather Case In Best Buy Canada Inventory Already?
September 19th, 2010
 
I hesitated to report on these two smartphones when they were announced, mostly due to Canadian availability. HTC held a big event a few days ago in London to announce their new products and services. The HTC Desire HD and Desire Z were unveiled and said to be coming to European and Asian markets next month.
Now while both these phones are amongst the best in the world, do note that the T-Mobile G2 and Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G in the US are basic equivalents of the Desire Z and Desire HD respectively. Due to certain carrier branding that the phones hold, manufacturers tend to release a similar phone for the rest of the world. The Motorola Milestone is a great example of this, it’s known as the Motorola Droid in the States but is no different other than Verizon’s campaign brand. So let’s go over the specs.
HTC Desire HD: 4.3-inch screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8MP camera with a dual-LED flash and 720p video recording. We also get 802.11n WiFi on board along with the typical GPS, HSPA+ data and Bluetooth. If you’re familiar with the Evo 4G, this is basically the same phone sans the 4G and using GSM in place of Sprint’s CDMA.
HTC Desire Z: 3.7-inch screen with a physical QWERTY keyboard, 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor, 5MP camera with flash and 720p recording capabilities. 802.11n WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and HSPA+ data are all here too. You’re looking at the G2 equivalent people, still one of your best options if you’re looking for physical keys.
Both these phones should ship with Android 2.2 Froyo and the new version of HTC Sense that includes many features and improvements. Now along with the phones, HTC also talked about HTCSense.com that consists of a bunch of services including backup and remote wipe/locate. Both these phones will be among the first to support this service and it seems like a nice addition.
Now what about North America? We’re not told much more than sometime later this year but considering North America doesn’t consist of too many countries and we’re one of them, I’m gonna keep my hopes high for us being included. Here’s the part that gets me really excited though.
A tipster sent MobileSyrup a leaked Best Buy inventory photo that clearly shows a Desire Z Leather Case for sale at $32.99. This coming so close after the announcement means a lot and I do think it’s a good hint that we’ll hopefully be seeing this phone here in our land in the near future.
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| Jem_hadar |
Logitech Revue With Google TV Coming September 29 To The US For $299?
September 18th, 2010
Google wants to get on your TV. Partnerships with TV and Blu-ray player manufactuers like Sony (and recently Samsung) mean your next device might just ship with Google TV. But then there are those who already have all that stuff and aren’t gonna buy them again.
That’s where the Logitech Revue comes in. Google partnered with Logitech to bring all that Google TV goodness to your already existing setup using a set-top box. When will this all come out? This fall is what Google says for the US.
But you knew that date isn’t gonna please the eager early adopters so we now know some more. An Engadget tipster says September 29 is the date and $299 is what you’re gonna be paying. Why does the date really matter to those of us in Canada? Because the earlier the product ships somewhere, the earlier we might see it in our homes.
We’re also told that if you’re a Dish Network subscriber there, you can get a box for $179. That’s a pretty sweet discount. Will our cable and satelite providers manage to strike up any of these deals? It would also make for a better experience because as Google has said, the Google TV and Dish integration will be the best since Dish has worked so closely with them in bringing it all together.
Now we can keep talking on how long Canadians will have to wait but let’s say it was right now. I would love to try Google TV, maybe it’s because I spend enough time in front of a TV that a change really gets me excited. Is $299 worth it to you? Do you think companies like Shaw, Rogers or Bell even care about this? |
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| Jem_hadar |
Get a Bell Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant For $99 At Futureshop!
September 17th, 2010
I’ll keep it short and sweet. The Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant is one of the best Android phones we have offered to us in Canada. If you were looking for an excuse to buy it and Bell is your carrier, do it now. Futureshop is dropping down the price from $149 to $99 on a 3-year term and even throwing in a $50 Futureshop gift card for good measure!
If you happened to forget, this is the phone with the 1GHz Processor, HD video recording, Android 2.1 and that mouth watering 4-inch Super AMOLED display. I’ll stop writing so you can start running to your local store now. |
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| Jem_hadar |
Samsung Galaxy Tab Coming To Rogers And Bell Mid-November, WiFi Version To Follow?
September 17th, 2010
Yes, you might say that I’m a little obsessed with the Galaxy Tab. But I think tablets are very cool toys that have a lot of functions even if they’re not meant to replace our laptops. As someone who loves Android, I don’t like iPad being the only decent option on the market! All right, enough of that.
So the Tab is coming to all four major US carriers somewhere in October or November depending on the carrier for a rumoured price of $200-300, that’s the 3G version. There’s no 4G model for Sprint and all US versions will not have either the Reader or the Music Hub and here’s the real bummer, no voice capabilities! Meaning you can’t make phone calls.
A quick reminder on the specs: 1GHz Hummingbird Processor, 7-inch WSVGA display with a 1024×600 resolution, cameras on both sides with video calling features and all running on Android 2.2 Froyo that includes Flash 10.1. Okay, ready?
Usually this is the part of the post where I hope that it comes to Canada and start speculating but fear not! Samsung Canada has said the Tab is right on its way to Canada in mid-november. It’s coming to both Rogers (who was quick to confirm, check source below) and Bell. Just like the States, they’re leaving it up to the carriers to decide exact dates and pricing.
There’s also a Media Hub being shown for the US markets where you get movies and next-day tv shows from NBC, Paramount and Universal with more to be announced. This Hub will be available across the Galaxy S smartphone line as well but I wouldn’t get my hopes too high that we’re gonna see this in Canada anytime soon. Social networking apps though should be on available on all Tabs, and they’re allowing carriers to pre-load their own apps (hopefully nothing to screw things up too much.)
It also seems the 3G version will very likely require a contract, 2 years in the US so I’m gonna guess 3 years here? And for those of us who think one device term like our smartphone is enough, Samsung says a Wifi version is due to release with no word on a release date or pricing but hopefully they’re intelligent enough to make it at or under the $499 USD price of the iPad.
And finally, accessories. Physical keyboard dock that charges and syncs as well as connect to your speakers for $100, Desktop dock with an HDMI out to hook up to your TV for media which is around $69 and a GPS dock for turn by turn navigation in your car and that goes for $100 as well. All accessory prices mentioned are in US currency.
RECAP: Coming to Rogers and Bell in mid-november. No official pricing, rumoured for $200-$300 on a term. 3G version very likely to require contract with a carrier, WiFi version coming and we don’t know when or how much it will cost.
^^ Greate news! Though, despite how badly I want to get my hands on an Adroid pad, no way I'd pick up a non-wifi version. Hafta wait till that eventually comes I guess. |
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