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Mobile Nations Monday Brief: October 3, 2011

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 05:32 PM PDT

Mobile Nations

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AT&T SGSII, Launcher Icons [From the Forums]

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:45 PM PDT

Android Central

While some of you all out there might be recuperating from the Big Android BBQ, Monday moves on. We've got plenty planned for this week so make sure you stick with us, and in the meantime make you check out the Android Central forums:

If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.

Samsung Galaxy Note arriving in the UK November 17

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 02:46 PM PDT

Android Central

Samsung has announced that its beastly Galaxy Note smartphone will be hitting British stores from November 17. The Note, which was announced around a month ago at Sammy's Unpacked event at IFA, is the most impressive Samsung phone to appear on European shores. It sports a dual-core Exynos CPU at 1.4GHz (up from the 1.2GHz chip in the Galaxy S II), along with a full gigabyte of RAM and a massive 5.3-inch, 1280x800 SuperAMOLED HD display. Samsung's promoting the phone as the ultimate note-taking device for business professionals, as it also comes with a pressure-sensitive stylus that can be used anywhere within the UI.

No word on price points just yet, and none of the UK networks have announced any deals to carry the device, either. That said, you can probably expect to have to part with £500 or more to get your hands on this monstrous piece of technology. Join us after the jump for Samsung's full press release.

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Official Hotmail app now available in the Android Market

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 02:27 PM PDT

Hotmail for Android

Microsoft has released its official Hotmail app for Android, available now (finally!) in the Android Market. For the Hotmail faithful, the native Android experience has been far from perfect, so an optimized app is welcome and overdue news. You'll get push email, synced contacts and calendar, folder support, and even the ability to sync multiple Hotmail accounts. Grab the app for free after the break.

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Official Washington Post app lands in the Android Market

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:52 PM PDT

washington post

The Washington Post has finally launched an official app for Android and is available for free from the Android Market. Fans of the popular paper can now read their favorite columnists on-the-go in a native app rather than being forced to go to the website.

Here are the main features:

  • Breaking news alerts
  • A dedicated photo section that includes galleries and photo essays
  • Metro, traffic and weather info for local users in the CD metro area. The metro alerts include real-time arrival times and the traffic info allows you to view live traffic cams to see which route to take. (If you've ever been in DC at rush hour, you'll know how important this is)
  • Ability to share articles easily by SMS, email or to Twitter, Google+ or Facebook

It took a long-time for a dedicated Washington Post app to come to Android, but it seems it was worth the wait. The app provides a really nice experience for those seeking easy access to articles and news from their mobile device. As mentioned above, it is available for free from the Android Market, see the links after the break. If you have questions or concerns about the app, see our Android App Forum.

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Google to announce Q3 earnings Oct. 13

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:37 PM PDT

Google logo

Who doesn't love a good earnings call, right? Google's set its Q3 2011 call for 1:30 p.m. Pacific time Oct. 13. It'll be streamed, we'll undoubtedly get some Android news, and we'll be listening in to bring it all to you.

Source: Google

Chromium web browser gets files that support a build for Android

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:38 PM PDT

Chromium

Chromium, the open-source version of Google's Chrome web browser, got an interesting bit of code checked in a few days ago -- files and scripts that support a build for Android.  While normally we wouldn't get too excited seeing an upstream check-in about Android in an open-source project, this time the submission is from a Google employee.  Google took extra time to let everyone at Google I/O 2011 know that Android and Chrome were two separate entities, and everyone got the impression that the two would never meet.  We sure did, and discussed it ourselves over a beer or two.

Of course, things change -- maybe Google has decided that a merger of the Android browser code and the Chrome browser code would benefit everyone, and the open-source version would be the best place to do it.  Or maybe these are just files for the DIY'ers out there to build their own version of Chromium for Android.  Either way, the full Chrome browser on my Galaxy Tab is something I've been wanting.  Maybe, just maybe, this is the first step.

Source: Chromium via Conceivably Tech

Google Apps have a new download location -- GetJar?

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:19 PM PDT

GMail on GetJar

They say seeing is believing, but I'm still not sure what to make of this one.  Google's closed applications -- the ones they keep a tight rein on and not allow just anybody to use -- apparently are available through the third-party market GetJar.  Not just Gmail that you see pictured above, but Google TV remote, Maps, Search, Books -- they're all there.  We're assuming that this is legitimate and not a mistake (GetJar is a reputable site), but we're baffled at how this came to be -- especially since Google's apps also need additions to the Android system framework to actually run.  I can tell you that they work (I tested with Google Music and YouTube -- can't afford to wipe out my Gmail app just yet), but I can't tell you why.  Hit the link and give it a try yourself.

Source: GetJar

Hacks bring Google Wallet to all Nexus S phones

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:53 AM PDT

Google Wallet

NFC may or may not be the future of on-the-go banking, but for most Android fans it's pretty damn cool.  That's why there was a whole lot of disappointment when Google decided to go exclusive with Sprint and the Nexus S 4G on the Google Wallet app for Android, leaving the majority of Nexus S users out of the picture.  This likely has something to do with money (it always does), Isis mobile payment, and competition, but we don't really care about any of that -- we just want to play with our NFC chip.

Now we can, thanks to hacks.  Users have found that the files included in the Sprint version of the Nexus S 4G work just fine on other Nexus S phones -- both stock and with custom ROMs.  Installation is easy enough (though you do need to be rooted and/or running a custom recovery), just flash a package or move a few files.

There's a big caveat here, however. While it's cool that we're able to circumvent the restrictions of exactly who gets to use this, we're not so sure Google and MasterCard will be happy with the $10 credits people who aren't eligible are getting.  If you want to try it for yourself, though, check out the links below.

Source: XDA; (custom ROMs), (stock ROMs)

Thanks, John!

Adobe's Touch Apps sure look sweet

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:53 AM PDT

Adobe's cracking through its first-day Adobe Max keynote today. And while we were teased with the Photoshop Touch SDK in the spring, we're now getting down to brass tacks. The promo video above gives you an idea of what's going on. And while things are always ideally edited in promo videos, you get a sense of what's in store. We're talking full digital content creation on Android (and iOS) devices. And as we type this, we're watching a Photoshop Touch demo being done not on an iPad, but on Honeycomb. Android, folks.

Exciting times, indeed.

Source: Adobe; More Watch the keynote live

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