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The Android Google+ account promises a surprise come Monday

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 02:20 PM PST

+Android

The +Android team on Google+ has made a little announcement that we should expect a "surprise" tomorrow (Dec. 19).  What it may or may not be is currently the hot topic of discussion, and I'm not even going to make a guess.

But that doesn't mean you guys shouldn't -- speculate away in the comments, someone is bound to be right.

Source: +Android

U.S. Cellular updating original Samsung Galaxy Tab to Android 2.3.5

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 01:19 PM PST

Galaxy Tab

It might not be the belle of the ball any longer, but U.S. Cellular has approved an update for  the original 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, bringing it some Gingerbread live in the form of Android version 2.3.5.  While it's not Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich, it is a vast improvement over the Froyo (Android 2.2) build the Tab shipped with, and should breathe new life into your faithful electronic companion.  Besides the advantages of Gingerbread itself, the change log has a few nice bullet points:

  • VPN support
  • Improved volume control when playing a video or movie while listening with a headset
  • Google security patches:  DigiNotar certificate revocation; Libpng security update
  • Remove auto accept of Bluetooth paring for Handsfree Profile (HFP). This vulnerability allows a nearby third-party to auto connect to Bluetooth HFP and potentially access contact data on the mobile device.

Now, for the bad news.  The update is not an Over The Air (OTA) style affair, and must be done via the USB cable and a Windows computer.  This means that it's going to wipe away the data on your Tab, and of course involves software and driver installation on a PC.  Samsung has set up a nice support page for the issues that are bound to crop up, and of course the Android Central forums are full of people who can help -- don't be afraid to hit them up.  Check out the links if you're needing to update.

Source: U.S. Cellular.  More: Samsung

Thanks, Mark!

 

Android 101: Logcat explained and detailed [from the forums]

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 09:35 AM PST

Logcat

I know most of you guys and gals aren't used to sitting down and reading stack traces or debugging logs (you're better off, trust me), but sometimes during Android hacking and debugging reading the logcat output is a necessary evil.  When a developer asks for a log, it's usually followed by a command you don't understand with special characters, and no explanation of what you're doing.  That's fine for the busy developer, but every opportunity to learn something should be taken.  Android Central member JHuston456 has done an excellent job sorting out the switches and parameters used for the logcat command, and has done a fine job explaining them for normal folks.  For anyone who has rooted and plans to hack away at their phone, it's required reading.  Hit the forums, have a look, and thank JHuston456 when you're done. 

Source: Learn logcat like a pro

Beloved webOS Twitter app Carbon coming to Android

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 06:23 AM PST

Carbon for Android

Now that webOS is all but dead, we're starting to see not only the end users defect to Android, but developers as well. And one of the more popular webOS Twitter apps is headed this way, too. Carbon, which already is working its way to Windows Phone 7, is coming to Android, developer dots & lines tells Android Central. 

It's currently in the design phase, UX director Saleh Esmaeili tells us. And he also gives us a little bit of insight into why we're just now seeing Carbon come to Android. In a word (OK, three words): Ice Cream Sandwich. Says Esmaeili:

"It was a little daunting when we first looked at Android SDKs and the lack of fluid UI design in the past, all changes with ICS. We can now benefit from animations and transitions along with lots of UI elements that can make designing a good experience possible on Android." 

You can never have enough Twitter clients, and you can never have enough good Twitter clients. Carbon undoubtedly will be in that latter category.

"We're very excited and are going to be on it full steam," Esmaeili says. Stay tuned, folks.

More: CarbonwebOS.com

Get Google Wallet on your Galaxy Nexus with no hackery required

Posted: 18 Dec 2011 05:28 AM PST

Google Wallet

Yeah, yeah. Google Wallet is not officially on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. We get that. We don't like it, but we get it. And we've been able to hack it on there easily enough. But what if you didn't have to actually hack it onto the phone? No rooting. Just a simple app install. That's now a reality, thanks to lukegb at XDA Developers.  

The gist is that if you've got a Galaxy Nexus that hasn't had Google Wallet on it yet through the other methods, you should be able to simply install the apk, and everything's both hunky and dory. They're saying folks in the U.S. are having better luck with it than abroad, for whatever reason. And if the simple apk doesn't work, there's always the usual (and only slightly less easy) zip method.

There is, however, a slightly ethical gray area here in that once you've got Google Wallet on your phone, you've also got a free $10 prepaid MasterCard that you otherwise wouldn't have been entitled to. Just sayin'.

We've confirmed that this apk method works on both the GSM Galaxy Nexus as well as the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Find it at the source link below.

Source: XDA Developers; via Android Central Forums

 

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