Samsung “NEXUS PRIME” Shows Up In Leaked

Well, lookie here. Looks like we have a Best Buy December catalog leaked with the Samsung Galaxy Nex- wait, the Samsung Nexus Prime? Holy cow. Verizon must have made some last minute changes to the Galaxy Nexus rebranding the device with, I’m assuming, an exclusive Verizon title. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus will officially be dubbed the Nexus Prime.

Galaxy Nexus Overview

The Galaxy Nexus is a new phone in the series created by Samsung. It's the third official phone contracted by Google and the first phone to come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Specs include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16/32GB of internal storage, a 4.65 inch 720p HD Super AMOLED display, a 5 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, a 1.3 megapixel camera and a lot more.

The phone features NFC-based sharing with a feature called Androdid Beam, face-recognition unlocking, advanced battery and data monitoring options and a lot more that is possible with the advent of Android 4.0.


While this continues to mess around with anxious fanboys’ emotions, there’s no denying… that’s one sexy name. I guess it’s only befitting given the overall sexiness of the device and the all new OS its running on. What do you guys think? Happy to see the Nexus Prime in print?

65-inch 1080p Touchscreen Display Powered By Honeycomb Tablet Prototype [Video]

A video of the world’s largest Android tablet it making its rounds across the web. Now, this isn’t the modded 22-inch Android “tablet” we showed you guys a few months back — no, sir. This here is a 65-inch LCD monitor, powered by a smaller 1o-inch Android Honeycomb tablet prototype (mirrored onto the big screen in 1080p using a dock). The ginormous touch display only 2 touch sensors making multitouch a no-go for now. However, word from the developers is a 4 sensor version is on the way that should all your multitouch dreams come true.

In the video the developers show off a little bit of the OS, a little bit of apps and then proceeds to fire up Fruit Slice (why not Fruit Ninja?) and later shows off some video playback. I have to say, the Nvidia Tegra 2 processor inside their 10.1-inch prototype seems to hold up pretty well even when outputting in full 1080p HD. While most of the time these demos like these are more for bragging rights or a proof-of-concept — the Turkish company showing off this feat is already in talks with education and enterprise customers to bring the entire setup to production as a “smart board” alternative. 65-inches wont be the only size available either, with the company planning to also launch a smaller, more pocketable device to power a variety of displays ala ASUS Padfone.

But enough jibber-jabberin.’ Check out the video below and let us know if you are impressed.

Android Review: Reckless Getaway

Gameplay
Reckless Getaway offers two game modes: Reckless and Getaway. In Getaway, you’re given a yellow muscle car and must reach the end of a course without crashing or getting busted. The game will always keep you on the edge of your seat since the AI’s actions are completely randomized. There are railway tracks that criss-cross the streets in some maps, while other courses have a Tram line in the middle of the roadway, seemingly based off the San Francisco system. Additionally, the cops are rarely predictable. Some are smart and will attempt to out-maneuver you while others will smash into civilian cars driving them into your path. Others hide in obscure places and will appear, almost out of thin air, as you speed by. A direct hit into oncoming traffic will total your vehicle.

Graphics
If the icon didn’t give it away, the visual style of Reckless Getaway is a massive deviation from what was seen in Reckless Racing. While the original game almost blew everyone away with its life-like environment with realistic lighting, Reckless Getaway takes a more animated turn. In a move that seems to complement the arcade-like gameplay, Polarbit aimed for a cartoonish atmosphere, reminiscent of Guerrilla Bob on iOS.

Audio

What do you hear when you’re driving down a 2 lane road on a nice day? Now imagine adding a bunch of explosions, wailing cop sirens, and constantly honking traffic, all paired with a fast paced arcade sound track, much like that of Tilt to Live, to that mix. That’s Reckless Getaway’s audio in a nutshell.

Final Thoughts

You may think this new art style is new for Polarbit, but if you’ve been gaming on iOS since the original Armageddon Squadron and Raging Thunder games, it should be clear that Reckless Racing was the deviation, if anything. Whichever format you prefer, the developers have shown that they can release smooth, high quality games on all platforms regardless of how they look. Most of all, they’ve proven that they are the masters of making casual mobile racing games. Raging Thunder, and both Reckless games are fantastic choices that can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.

MARKET

Gamestop Begins Selling Tablets In-Store and Online Starting Today

Looks like Gamestop is ready to jump on the tablet craze (if there is one) with the addition of a few tablets making their way to the video game retailer starting today. Gamestop will be selling the Acer Iconia Tab A100, Asus Eee Pad Transformer and the Samsung Galaxy Tab in 200 of their stores as part of a test program. Each of the tabs will have access to Kongregate’s Arcade app store including 7 free games including Dead Space, Madden and Sonic CD. If the test program goes well, Gamestop will ship out more tabs to stores in 2012.

Prices for these tablets are near identical as you would find at any other retailers with the Iconia Tab 8GB being offered for $330, Transformer for $400 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 coming in at $500. Gamestop loves their bundles and the tabs will be offering their own with accessories like a Bluetooth gamepad for some serious tablet gaming.

What do you guys think? Could these tablets be a hit for the holiday season?

[Gamestop via Electronista]

HTC Releases Gingerbread Kernel Source For the Thunderbolt – Let The ROMs Begin

 Well, lookie here. Seems HTC has just released the Gingerbread kernel source for the my one of my old time favorites — the HTC Thunderbolt While this may not mean much to the average user, this comes as great news for flashing addicts and ROM developers as they can now start cooking up some wild and crazy custom Gingerbread ROMs for the device. Game on.

The 2.6.35 kernel source is available via HTCdev and you can find the source link below. Viva la Thunderbolt!

Thanks, Jordan!

[Via HTCdev]

Deal Alert: Best Buy Offering 32GB HP TouchPads For $150 – But There’s A Catch

Well, color my goose and slap me silly! Looks like there was still a few more HP TouchPads stashed somewhere after their big fire sale to go around. As it turns out, Best Buy will begin selling the 32GB version of the Android-hackable TouchPads for $150 but this time under one condition — customers looking to take advantage of the deal must buy an HP computer to go along with it. Those shysters.

The deal kicks off on November 1st and you best believe Best Buy will be advertising the deal across all the usual channels like the front page of their Sunday ads. Oh- if you’re feeling a bit wary about purchasing an HP computer after you know – the whole talk of them pulling out of the PC market, word on the street is HP may have changed their minds. Nice to know your computer will at least offer some level of support. HP TouchPads on the other hand… well, you’re just going to throw CM7 on there anyway.


[Via TechCrunch]

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Can Turn Your Galaxy Nexus Into A Video Game Console

With Android Honeycomb we saw the introduction of USB hosting, allowing for connectivity with device like a USB hard drive or USB gamepad (like the Xbox 360 controller) on a tablet for use with games or emulators. In case there was any doubt that this would also be a feature in Ice Cream Sandwich, Romain Guy reminded everyone via Twitter today, that USB gamepads will be fully functional in ICS as well. Couple that with HDMI output and this would essentially turn your Galaxy Nexus into a full fledged portable gaming console (with the right emulators of course).

Cruising around Reddit I found this screenshot of exactly what can be found in the Android SDK in regards to game controllers. You can see it’s a sort of tutorial from Google on setting up a game controller for Android 4.0. Of course, when testing out this function don’t forget — it always helps to imagine you are a lone space cowboy in hot pursuit of the aliens who kidnapped your favorite llama on their way back to Andromeda. Pshh, duh… Who’s ready for some serious Android gaming on your smartphone?

VIA REDDIT

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus Available for Pre-Order at Amazon, Starts at $399

 With a release date still up in the air, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has gone up for pre-order over at Amazon. The Galaxy Tab Plus is a revival of the companies first Galaxy Tab product featuring specs updated for the Honeycomb era (let’s forget for the moment how the Honeycomb era just ended). Hardware includes a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 7-inch 1024×600 display, and a 3MP camera. Both the 16GB version and the 32GB model are available at $399 and $499 respectively.


[via AndroidCommunity]

Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” Announced

Google has officially unveiled the next major release of Android, “Ice Cream Sandwich”. The mobile operating system features a much-needed UI refresh, software home, back, and recent apps buttons, Minority Report style facial recognition to unlock the device, and much more.


With a super slim profile, Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65” Contour Display with true high definition (720p) resolution and a lightning-fast dual core 1.2ghz processor combined with 4G LTE or HSPA+ technology. Galaxy Nexus also features the latest in software: Ice Cream Sandwich makes Android simple and beautiful, and takes the smartphone to beyond smart.

Beauty and simplicity
With Ice Cream Sandwich, our mission was to build a mobile OS that works on both phones and tablets, and to make the power of Android enticing and intuitive. We created a new font that’s optimized for HD displays and eliminated all hardware buttons in favor of adaptable software buttons. We also dramatically improved the keyboard, made notifications more interactive and created resizable widgets.

OFFICIAL TOUR
..................................................................................................................................................
CORE APPS

Browser







One of my favorite overhauled new apps is the Android Browser. The all new browser features easy a whole new way of tabbing. Tabs behave the same way as opening up your most recently used apps, being displayed vertically for you to swipe through or swipe to the left to close a tab. My favorite part about the all new tabs is how they can now be saved for offline viewing.
................................................................................................................................................

   Camera


The old and aging Android camera app has finally been revamped in Ice Cream Sandwich featuring zero shutter-lag for taking quick snap shots. Google has also added some features to the camera app like the always fun and functional, panaroma shot for taking sweeping pictures of landscapes or events. A few video features have also been added like continuous focus, taking video snapshots and even the ability to zoom while recording.
.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,...............................................,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,............................
Gallery


Editing photos has never been easier or looked better thanks to the all new and improved Gallery app. First off, gone is the 3D Gallery app and it’s been replaced with Android’s “magazine UI” featuring big, eye-popping thumbnails and displaying information like friend tags. Also built into the app is some light photo editing tools, giving users access to various “hipster filters” and immediate posting to social sites.

Google Voice Pulled from App Store

 Google has removed their Voice application from the App Store due to an iOS 5 specific crash. Many users who already have the app installed are not experiencing any problems, but apparently the bug is serious enough to warrant the app’s removal from the store. Both the mobile webapp and GV Mobile + are still available if you need your Voice fix now, but if you want the native app, you’ll need to hold tight until Google issues an update.

[Ars Technica]

Pantech Vega LTE Announced for South Korea [Dual-Core, HD Display]

Pantech has announced their Pantech Vega LTE smartphone for South Korea. You’re probably asking yourself “Pantech?!” Yes, following up on their Breakout LTE device for Verizon, they’ve brought another. This one is considerably better on paper, though, as Pantech looks to step their game up in the smartphone market.

Aside from the obvious 4G LTE radios inside, we have a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a 4.5 inch HD 720p display, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 1860mAh battery. Also along for the ride are NFC and T-DMB, two technologies that are very popular in those parts of Asia. There are front and rear cameras, but there was no word on their spec. You can expect some form of Android 2.3 with Pantech’s custom UI on top.

We’re impressed. Not that we’re saying Pantech was at the complete bottom of the barrel but they were usually not the most exciting booths in a store. We somehow don’t see this device leaving South Korea in any capacity (but we’d love to be wrong). There’s only one last question: where exactly are the Korean girls?


[via Android Community]

Boost Mobile Releases Samsung Transform Ultra for $229

The Samsung Transform Ultra, announced for Boost Mobile last month, is now available from the carrier. The no-contract service provider has the QWERTY slider priced at $229.99 outright, and can be combined with Boost’s Android Monthly Unlimited plan. With shrinking payments, which see the monthly price dropping by $5 each month, you can feast on all-you-can-eat data for as low as $40 per month. You can grab the handset from Boost now.


[via Boost]
 

Samsung Stratosphere Launching at Verizon October 13

 

When the Samsung Stratosphere first popped up on DL, most of us had fingers an toes crossed that it would be Verizon’s Galaxy SII variant. We now know that not to be the case and will instead see a device more on-par with the Epic 4G on Sprint than anything. That doesn’t mean it is a total flop though – remember that there is a pretty good sized group of people that cannot live without a physical keyboard and also want 4G LTE. This will be their option, for now.

We just received the comparison specs sheets for the device from our friends at Verizon, so that those interested can get an idea as to what they might expect when the device launches on October 6. What we have is a single-core 1GHz processor, Android 2.3, 1.3MP front camera, 5MP rear camera, 512MB of RAM, 4″ Super AMOLED display, and 4G LTE capabilities.

Verizon is calling it a “mid-tier” option, so we can hope that means it will come in around a $149.99 price point.  

Keek for Android Now Available – Share Short Video Messages With Social Networks

 -I came across this neat app for sharing small video clips with your friends and family. It’s called Keek and instead of updating your status with a boring typed out message, Keek allows you to record up to a 30 second video clip and upload it to their site. After creating a Keek account, you can then connect it to either your Twitter or Facebook account where you will be able to immediately tweet/update your friends with a handy link to your video. Pretty handy if you’re an exhibitionist (like me) or like to Tweet



Keek was just updated in the Android Market yesterday and although it fixed a couple of issues some users were having with the app, it still can be a little buggy. I found that on my Evo 3D, it actually records my videos sideways although they appear upside down in the thumbnails. Also, I’m getting trouble having my videos show up on my account. The app is very new so this is to be expected. Still, if you guys want to try it out you can find Keek for free right now in the Android Market.


[Market Link]

Best Buy Drops 16GB HTC Flyer to $100

After dropping the price of the HTC Flyer to $300, Best Buy has slashed off a couple hundred more, now offering the 16GB version of the Android slate for a mere $99.99. Of course, Best Buy’s inventory dropped just as quickly and the tablet is currently sold out for those ordering online. Not sure if the deal holds up in-store, but it is worth investigating. The Flyer might not have made the biggest splash upon its release, but it still features a high build quality and comes from a manufacturer with a proven track record in terms of Android devices. Besides, $100 is a steal for a tablet that once cost five times that much.

[via Best Buy

|What's Included
HTC Flyer Tablet with 16GB Internal Memory
Lithium-ion battery
Micro USB cable, power adapter, power cable
Owner's manual
Product Features
Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system
With HTC Sense allows you to stay connected and productive.
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n network
For Internet capability on the go (additional fees may apply). HTC Watch allows you to rent or buy movies and watch them instantly.
Along with a microSDHC card slot allows you to store or transfer media (card not included).
7" color touch-screen display
With 1024 x 600 resolution for easy navigation of features.
Front-facing 1.3MP autofocus camera
Along with a 5.0MP high-definition autofocus camera for capturing video.
Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP capability
For wireless communication with a Bluetooth-enabled stereo headset.
Media player
For viewing photos, listening to your favorite tunes or watching videos. Supported formats include AAC, AMR, OGG, M4A, MP3, WMA, WAV, 3GP, 3G2, MP4, WMV, AVI and XVID.
Snapbooth
Allows you to capture, stylize and share photos.

+1 Your Favorite Books with Google Books Update

 Just as Google updated their Shopper app to allow users to ‘+1′ their favorite products, Google Books has been updated with the ability to express your approval of your reading selections. In the latest version, now available in the Android Market, you can ‘+1′ a book as you are reading it. Also new is the ability to search within the text of a book and read in landscape mode on phones. The app has been better tailored for use on 7-inch tablets, as well. Follow the link below to download the latest version of Google’s e-reading app.


Android Market Link: Google Books

Sharp AQUOS Phone 102SH Revealed – 3D HD Screen, 12MP Camera, Dual-core Processor

 Look! It’s Godzirra! Okay, not quite. But it is another amazing Android smartphone from Japan — this time featuring a huge 4.5-inch 1280×720 HD display. Apparently, Sharp is the Android manufacturer to beat with 25% of the market share in Japan. The Sharp AQUOS Phone 102SH is the company’s latest offering of premium Android handsets for the masses. Let’s show them specs!

It doesn’t just stop at the aforementioned 4.5-inch HD screen. This crystal clear AQUOS display also features glasses-free 3D with a pixel density of 329dpi (I got goosebumps). Also on the menu is a 12MP CMOS camera with HD video recording capabilities, 1GHz TI OMAP4430 dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 2.2GB ROM and once again — its waterproof. My favorite part? The infrared connection and digital TV tuner. The Sharp AQUOS Phone 102SH will also take advantage SoftBank’s “Ultra Speed” 21Mbps network in Japan.

 

  

No word yet on pricing but the Sharp AQUOS 102SH is expected to debut in Japan in December with mention that it could see a worldwide release sometime in the near future. Call it the “grass is greener” syndrome but I’m really digging the design and color options of these Android handsets coming out of Japan. What do you guys think? Hot or not?

Luma Arcade Announces New Game “Bladeslinger” – Coming Soon To Android

 

In case you felt the quantity of triple-A titles hitting the Android Market to be a bit lacking, I have some great news for you. Luma Arcade has announced their 3rd person action beat ‘em-up, Bladeslinger. The game was unveiled at the Unity 11 conference and you guessed it, was built using the cross platform Unity engine.

In a statement Sam Williams, The General Manager of Luma Arcade said:

The Bladeslinger story has been a pet passion project of our studio for a long time now. It’s such a detailed, rich universe with lots of action packed sequences that we always imagined we’d need to build it for PC or consoles, but with Unity, we were able to bring the project to life targeting cutting edge smartphones and tablets without compromising our vision for the game.

The game’s setting is a sci-fi/Western beat ‘em/shoot ‘em up featuring strange monsters you have to defeat using gestures (ala Infinity Blade). From the trailer, it looks like special moves can be activated using cards and a combination of shapes you draw on the screen. If you’re intrigued just take a look at the Luma Arcade’s official trailer for Bladeslinger.

There’s no denying Bladeslinger is looking top notch in the graphics department. It will be interesting to see how well the game actually plays. For the love of Gawd, let’s pray this wont be another Nvidia Tegra exclusive. What do you guys think? Hit or miss? 

ZTE Score hits Cricket Mobile

 Contracts suck, we can all agree to that. If you are looking for a new Android device on a no-contract carrier on the cheap Cricket Wireless has a new offering for you that might be perfect. The smartphone is called the ZTE Cricket and it is the first ZTE branded smartphone to hit the Cricket network. Cricket is also the first carrier to launch the Score from ZTE as well. It will be in Cricket retail locations starting September 25.

It will be offered in Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile locations as well. The ZTE Score is an Android phone that runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It has a 600MHz processor and a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touch screen. The phone also has an accelerometer and a virtual keyboard. The rear camera is 3.2MP and is supports video recording as well as still photos.

The phone also has WiFi, 3G connectivity and XT9 trace for easy text entry. It will also work with the new unlimited Muve Music service and can access all the apps on the Android Market. The Cricket Samsung Vitality I mentioned a while back also supported the new unlimited music service. The phone will sell for $129.99 making it a low priced Android offering.