Android Atlas Weekly (MP3)

Episodes

•    
  Zillow launches Android app for rentals (podcast)

  4/30/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  If you've ever been curious about the price of a particular house in America, chances are you've been to Zillow.com. That's the site that lets you type in an address to find out its estimated sale price (called a "Zestimate") along with details about the house and, in most cases, the exact date and price it last sold for as well as information about property taxes, nearby schools, and neighboring homes. In addition to sale prices, the company also estimates rental prices and displays rentals in your area. Having all this on the Web is great, but if you're looking for housing -- whether to buy or rent -- at some point you have to go out and look at properties, which is when mobile apps are key. The company had earlier released listing apps for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, iPad and even the Kindle Fire. But now it's offereing a rental app for Android, designed to help people who are looking to rent houses, apartments, condos, or townhouses. The new app allows users to enter their location or draw on a map to select the area they're searching in. They can specify the type of housing they're looking for and get notifications when new rental homes that meet their criteria come on the market. They can also compare homes to side by side. In an interview (scroll down to listen to podcast), Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff said the new app has "hundeds of thousands" listings, rent Zestimates, and other data on rental properties." There is currently no dedicated iPhone rental app, but the general iPhone real estate app does have rental estimates. He said that rent estimates typically come in within 7 percent of actual rental prices. Audio interview with Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | RSS (audio) Originally posted at For the Record Podcast

•    
  Android Atlas Weekly 92: Farewell, until 2020 (Podcast)

  4/4/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  Justin, Jaymar, Antuan & Stephen predict the future of the Android Operating System all the way in the year 2020. All that and more on this week's edition of Android Atlas Weekly Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) EPISODE 92 Jaymar’s Predictions for 2020 Google Play Movies will be re-rebranded as YouTube Android will be available as a standalone desktop OS, and it will come loaded with Chrome Browser (a la Windows & IE). (This, of course, means that Chrome OS is dead) Android@Home initiative will be in full swing: lights, appliances, security systems, etc. will be powered by Android Android will become self-aware, at which point it will send an Austrian bodybuilder back in time to pre-emptively end any hope for a human rebellion. This bodybuilder will, of course, be wearing Android-powered sunglasses Instagram will announce that it is coming to Android “very, very soon” In the year 2020: by Justin Motorola will cease to exist as a separate entity iOS will just be a skin on top of Android Zucchini Bread will be released for the Sonysung Nexus Quasar GoogleTV will be 20x better than today, and still no one will be using it Most Android phones will have Lytro cameras built in Antuan Goodwin 2020 Singularity happens and we will be powered by Android… or civilization ends on Black Friday 2012 and we don’t have to worry about it. Android custom skins (Sense UI, TouchWiz) grow out of control, morphing into offshoot branch OSes of themselves. OEMs build their own app stores and music markets to get around Google’s rules Google attemps to tighten control over the look and feel of AOSP, there will some headbutting between OEMs and Google and the search giant will need to decide how “evil” it will be. Google self driving cars will evolve into an ad-supported Google Cab service. You’ll be able to call a robo cab with your Android phone and have it automatically come pick you up and take you to a location. Someone finally builds an Android powered iPhone killer… faced with defeat, Apple reverts to full time patent trolling. ————— END OF SHOW DETAILS: BLOG cnet.com/android-atlas TWITTER @androidatlas JAYMAR @jaymarcabebe JUSTIN @notmyrealname ANTUAN @antgoo STEPHEN @stephenbeacham

•    
  Android Atlas Weekly 91: Segues? We don't need no stinkin' segues! (Podcast)

  3/28/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  CNET editors Lynn La and Eric Franklin join us to dish on tablets, ICS updates, and apps on one of our roughest shows to date! Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) EPISODE 91 NEWS: -Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 review -Possible Nexus Tablet giveaway at Google IO? -Rumor: Jelly Bean coming in Q3? -AT&T announces slew of other devices getting ICS update -Samsung, LG not done with 3D yet -BlueStacks beta is out, and it puts Android apps on your Windows computer -Bluestacks-app-player-beta-goes-live -Instagram for Android imminent -Angry Birds Space APP of the WEEK: -Temple Run EMAIL: Hi Team, I have finally taken the plunge and switched from my ageing iPhone 3G to a new Samsung Galaxy Note. The Note is very impressive. My question pertains to location services and privacy settings. With my iPhone, I can customise which applications can have access to my GPS location. I cannot find this option with my Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Is this option available? Upon downloading applications in the Play Shop, the app will tell me it wants to monitor my location; however, I see nowhere post download that I can deactivate this without deleting the app. Please help? From Kevin, Melbourne, Australia. ——————— Not without first rooting the phone, no. There are apps that you can use to deny certain apps access to GPS location (Permissions Denied http://bit.ly/GWnKz5 springs to mind), but these apps usually require root access since you’re messing with locked permissions. His non-rooted options are a) turn off GPS access on a global level via the “Location & security” menu in the Settings or b) pay attention to the permissions asked for by the apps before installation and simply not install apps that he doesn’t want to know where he is. END OF SHOW DETAILS: BLOG cnet.com/android-atlas STREAM cnet.com/live/ TIME Wednesdays @ 10am PT EMAIL androidatlas@cnet.com TWITTER @androidatlas JAYMAR @jaymarcabebe JUSTIN @notmyrealname ERIC FRANKLIN @nidopal LYNN LA @lynnlaaa STEPHEN @stephenbeacham PHONE 866-344-CNET (2638)

• 8 tips for ditching your cell phone contract early

  3/21/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  We talk a lot about early-termination fees, or ETFs, here at CNET because we have a love/hate relationship with signing a two-year service agreement (or three years if you're in countries like Canada). On the one hand, who doesn't love being able to own a $500 or $600 smartphone for $200, $50, or even a penny? You just can't swing that in the unlocked phone market. On the other hand, few people enjoy being tied to a carrier, and to their carrier's phone selection, over the course of two years or longer. What if you change your mind about the service quality, what if your dream phone just came out on another carrier -- what if? Once you sign your name on the dotted line, there's little you can do to avoid an up-to-$350 fee to jump ship. Carrier's insurance ETFs may seem evil when you're trying to break free of a contract (remember, though, you signed it), but for carriers, they're a practical business measure for recouping costs. After all, carriers are the ones buying phones from Apple, Samsung, HTC, Motorola, and so on, which they then sell to you at cut rate along with your full-price service. Charging you an ETF helps recover carriers' upfront phone costs should you want or need to break the contract before your time is up. With that in mind, here are some facts and tips you should tuck away for a rainy day. 0. ETFs deflate Your ETF may cost somewhere near $350 when you just buy the phone, but carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile will reduce your ETF a little each month, usually by $10 per billing cycle. 1. Keep an eye on that grace period If you're new to a carrier and just bought a new phone you're unsure of, you'll usually have at least 14 days (or up to a month) to return it without penalty. The same applies to purchases from big-box stores like Best Buy. So if you're having second thoughts about that phone; don't wait to act. 2. A silver bullet you don't want There is one ironclad way to get out of a contract without paying for your ETF: expire. I really, really don't recommend it (or faking your own death). 3. Report it Carriers clearly want to offer you a great network experience, so you'll stick with their service rather than bail. If your service degrades over the course of your contract (or "materially changes") then you might be eligible for recourse like a signal booster or bill credit, or in extreme situations, a pronounced service drop-off might warrant releasing you from your obligations. This snippet from Verizon's contract pretty much sums it up for all the post-paid carriers: If you're a Postpay customer and a change to your Plan or this agreement has a material adverse effect on you, you can cancel the line of Service that has been affected within 60 days of receiving the notice with no Early Termination Fee if we fail to negate the change after you notify us of your objection to it. In some cases, you may need to reach out in writing. 4. Freeze it If you're more concerned about pausing service rather than abandoning it, you can temporarily freeze your account. Each of the Big Four carriers participates in seasonal suspension, usually without billing (your ETF won't budge) or with billing (you'll pay every month not to use your phone, but you'll work off your ETF cap). It's more ideal for long vacations (Verizon's offer tops out at 180 days), and it usually extends to people who have paid their bills in full. For instance, Sprint charges $8.99 per month for up to six consecutive months, and AT&T charges $10 per month to suspend the account, and T-Mobile will hold your phone number and rate plan for six months without penalty. 5. Swap your service One of the theoretically simplest, cheapest, and most clever ways to avoid breaking your contract is to pass it off to somebody else. You'll have to go through some paperwork and phone calls with customer service, but if you can find someone to pay out your contract for you, you can avoid the fee and still be free. Carriers won't charge you to swap the deed, called a transfer of responsibility, but finding a replacement can be tricky. There's always Craigslist or eBay, but a surer solution is to go through a service like CelltradeUSA. You can think of the Web site and others like it as a brokerage for buying up and selling contracts. The business will collect a $20 fee to move ahead with any swaps, but it will walk you through the legal steps. "Sellers" often offer the phone and accessories at cut rates, or as part of the deal. I have not personally tried any services like CelltradeUSA or any others, but I did spend some time looking into the business a while ago, and found positive writeups. (Disclosure: The Celltrade service is powered by CNET cell phone reviews.) 6. When all else fails, escalate I want to idle on hold for a customer service representative as much as the next person, but I'd rather invest a half hour of my day to settle an issue or clear up confusion than suffer in silence. In my experience, asking to speak to a supervisor can open new doors or supply critical additional information. Being a squeaky wheel--but a polite one--often pays off. 7. Take it to Twitter In addition, carriers have become extremely responsive to Twitter and Facebook queries, and often have a customer care account in addition to their regular online persona. For carriers, social media offers a chance to interact with -- and with luck, assuage -- disgruntled subscribers on a more personal level. 8. Arbitration, your last resort Consulting a lawyer is another angle I wouldn't encourage outside of rare, extreme situations. About a year ago, the Supreme Court decided that carriers could shield themselves from class action suits (full PDF) by offering arbitration instead. When you sign a contract, you waive the right to levy a class action suit. Yet, if you do think that you're unlawfully being charged, you could approach a lawyer to sue in small claims on your own, or approach the carrier to arbitrate a case. The carrier generally shoulders arbitration costs. Originally posted at Dialed In

•    
  Android Atlas Weekly Ep. 90: Awkward segues (Podcast)

  3/21/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  Sprint and HTC are gearing up for a big announcement. Linux and Android's not-so-secret affair goes public, and the Galaxy S II plus one equals Galaxy S III. We will check out the latest rumors surrounding what could be the next big phone on this week's episode of Android Atlas Weekly. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) EPISODE 90 NEWS: -Samsung Galaxy S III image could be the real thing -Samsung-Galaxy-SIII-to-allow-for-wireless-charging-up-to-2-meters-away/ -Sprint and HTC hosting big event April 4 -Linux and Android together at last -Free Android apps waste 75 percent of power on ads, study says -HTC and Beats Audio set to acquire music subscription service Mog? -Reddit app banned from Play Store for being NSFW -Get the ICS launcher on your Gingerbread device -Find tablet-optimized apps with Tablified VOICEMAIL: Caller would like some advice on how to switch from the iPhone to Android -How to switch from iPhone to Android EMAIL: If I get an android tablet, and I uninstall the apps from my DroidX, can I download the paid ones to my tablet for free? U guys do good work. ~Lee Dresser SHOW DETAILS: BLOG cnet.com/android-atlas STREAM cnet.com/live/ TIME Wednesdays @ 10am PT EMAIL androidatlas@cnet.com TWITTER @androidatlas JAYMAR @jaymarcabebe JUSTIN @notmyrealname ANTUAN @antgoo PHONE 866-344-CNET (2638)

•    
  Android Atlas Weekly 89: YouTube vs Android: a war for content (Podcast)

  3/14/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  A nexus tablet, Instagram is here, but not really and google fails to entertain, all that and more on this week's episode of Android Atlas Weekly for March 14th, 2012. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) EPISODE 89 NEWS: Jessica Dolcourt with the Samsung Galaxy S II on US Cellular -Samsung Galazy S II -Google Pin Frenzy -Google’s entertainment strategy is in disarray -Nokia Maps gives turn-by-turn walking navigation to all -Hottest new apps out of SXSW 2012 -Instagram coming to Android ‘really soon’ -Android Tablets Will Overtake iPad by 2015, IDC Says -Digitimes echos our "Nexus tablet" by ASUS rumor, could launch as early as May -Tag Heuer launching eye-wateringly priced Android smartphone VOICEMAIL: Caller has a question about the Chrome browser. -How-to-switch-from-iphone-to-android/ EMAIL: Listening to the broadcast yesterday and by the way I like the little more involvement Stephen Beacham has been adding, he's funny and brings a lot to BOL would love to see you guys let him loose on Android Atlas as well. But that's a different topic. In reference to the email about Android Tablet apps. It was situation you both are right and both are wrong. The emailer was right in the fact there are a lot more Tablet Optimized apps then what is either thought to be out there and is reported on. Justin was right in the fact that Google does a horrible job of centralizing them. I found this website which is also an Android app called Tablified Market HD. It's actually both a wonderful app and website that does a great job of finding Android Tablet optimized apps. You guys should check it out. There is both a free and a paid version. And maybe even consider it as an app of the week? I think it will be very helpful to Android users who have tablets . Website: http://www.tablified.com/ APP: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tablified.tablifiedmarket_pro&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS50YWJsaWZpZWQudGFibGlmaWVkbWFya2V0X3BybyJd Thanks love the show and how Jaymar is coming into his own. Willia —— Hi, This is the first time I am writing to you. I have been listening to your show for a couple of weeks now, I’ve really enjoyed it. In the last show (Ep. 88) you mentioned several times, that you do not want to pay for the applications that you use on your phone. Come on, guys, do not bite the hand that feeds you. If you want to have a high quality software on your phone, you should sometimes support the effort of developers and pay for the application every now and then. You often review cool Android apps in your, show after all. Where do you think these apps come from ? And boasting about blocking the internet access in order to prevent ads from displaying on your screens in your FREE apps… this is not what I would expect from the journalists that – among other things – write, speak and do shows about Android “”ecosystem”". There are many decent applications that were not preinstalled on my phone or that are way better than stock counterparts. - gReader Pro for RSS reading, - Read It Later Pro for saving interesting URLs, - Pocket Casts for podcast listening (I will not believe that any of you, guys, really like the Google Listen app), - Winamp, for listening and synchronizing my mp3 music, - Smart Keyboard Pro, great keyboard by the way, - ezPDF reader, for reading PDFs, making notes in PDFs and much more, to name only a few. Without these apps, my smartphone would not be “”smart”" at all. In the last show, you asked “”Who buys the apps, anyway?”". Well, I do. If I like the application, I do not mind spending a couple of bucks on it. Best regards, Pawel —— SHOW DETAILS: BLOG cnet.com/android-atlas STREAM cnet.com/live/ TIME Wednesdays @ 10am PT EMAIL androidatlas@cnet.com TWITTER @androidatlas JAYMAR @jaymarcabebe JUSTIN @notmyrealname JESSICA @jdolcourt PHONE 866-344-CNET (2638)

•    
  Android Atlas Weekly Ep. 88: Google plays, Apple pays, Android listens (Podcast)

  3/8/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  Google plays, Apple pays, and Android listens, all that and more on this week's episode of Android Atlas Weekly for March 8th, 2012. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) EPISODE 88 NEWS: -Goodbye Android Market, hello Google Play -Google Play offers apps, albums, more for a quarter -Google planning Siri rival for later this year? -New Android voice assistant, Robin, rides shotgun -Key Lime Pie, after Jelly Bean? -Sprint promises 10 Google Wallet devices this year -More than just mobile payments. Quick mention -Verizon officially dishing out ICS to more than 12 devices -Apple offers Samsung and Motorola licensing deals of $5 to $15 per unit to settle litigation APP OF THE WEEK: -Draw Something is the new hotness -Draw Something Video on CNET TV EMAIL: Hey Android Atlas I found your input engine you know in love from back in the day with your palmOS trios and what not… There’s also a free version with ad support. Check out “”Graffiti Pro for Android”" -Graffiti Pro —– I’m sitting here playing the android game Burning Sands 3 on my ASUS Prime well watching your show, and find myself utterly puzzled with your statement that there are a lack of tablet apps for android tablets. ALL android apps work on tablets. There’s 300,000 tablet apps to choose from. Maybe you need to put down your beloved iPad and spend a little more time researching android. – Max —– Hi guys you said you thought there was a difference between tablet & phone graphics but that is not entirely true. When you make an Android app you create a high, a middle, and a low definition image. so a 10″” tablet will use the same image as a phone with a high res screen like the Galaxy Nexus. However in many cases you will want to make a separate UI for a tablet but this is still fairly easy in that UI is done by click & drag and XML. Keep up the good work, love the show. – Dane —– I’m a fan of the google play branding, except for the market. I’m going to be calling it the market as long as I use android regardless, but that’s beside the point. My question is “”why?”" I was reading an interview from cnet with Jamie Rosenberg where she said “”Google Play will become a single experience for users. This creates a more powerful experience around Android and also increases opportunities for content partners to interact with more of Google’s offerings. Did google change the privacy policy again, only this time slipping it in under a rebranding? With the news for Assistant coming out now, google’s moves to change privacy to share content between more sources only makes sense in the effor to build something a step above siri. Anyway, it makes sense to me, but I’m also the only place I’ve heard this from, so I wanted to hear your opinion. Missed having a show this week, otherwise keep up the good work! - Stephen Colbert —– SHOW DETAILS: BLOG cnet.com/android-atlas STREAM cnet.com/live/ TIME Wednesdays @ 10am PT EMAIL androidatlas@cnet.com TWITTER @androidatlas JAYMAR @jaymarcabebe JUSTIN @notmyrealname PHONE 866-344-CNET (2638)

•    
  Android Atlas Weekly 87: Updates from Mobile World Congress (Podcast)

  2/29/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  Andy Rubin dishes on Android tablets, we examine a bowl of jelly beans, and we discuss the exciting new devices coming out of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) EPISODE 87 ANDROID NEWS: -Android chief: We must ‘double down’ on tablets, win the market -Google VP Dishes On Android Tablet and App Strategy -Android crosses 850,000 activations per day with 450,000 apps in the store, Andy Rubin says -Andy Rubin speaks out on Google, Motorola acquisition; wants nothing to do with Moto -Google Hints at ‘Android Jelly Bean’ -Samsung announces Galaxy Note 10.1 at MWC -Asus Padfone turns your phone into a tablet, notebook -Pico Projector infused Samsung Galaxy Beam shines its light at Mobile World Congress -Touchnote EMAILS: Hi, You wondered if there was a cultural reason why Koreans would want a phone with a stylus. Well one reason might be their alphabet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_language It’s a lot easier to write with a pen, than with the round-about way it can be done with a qwerty-keyboard. The same would be true for quite a few other Asian languages. – Martin —– I just wanted to compliment Jaymar on how well he is doing now with his volume level! When I wrote the original email I had no idea how much of a “”thing”" this was going to turn into. Go Jaymar! - Marc VOICEMAIL: Chris wants to know when the Galaxy S II will be getting ICS END OF SHOW STUFF: BLOG cnet.com/android-atlas STREAM cnet.com/live/ TIME Wednesdays @ 10am PT EMAIL androidatlas@cnet.com TWITTER @androidatlas JAYMAR @jaymarcabebe JUSTIN @notmyrealname STEPHEN @stephenbeacham PHONE 866-344-CNET (2638)

•    
  Android Atlas Weekly Ep. 86: Jelly beans, Android sunglasses, and another dang pen phone (Podcast)

  2/22/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  Rumor Has It host Karyne Levy joins us as we discuss Androids Jelly Bean possibly launching in Q2, the pen-friendly LG Vu which will be on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Spain, and a couple of crazy Android implementations including Google's HUD Glasses and an Android Toothbrush. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) EPISODE 86 NEWS: -Android 5.0 ‘Jelly Bean’ launching in Q2? Eh, maybe -Android 5.0 Jelly Bean is Android@Home -LG Optimus Vu is official: 5 inches, pen-friendly -BlackBerry OS 2.0 arrives, supports Android apps, sort of -Ubuntu for Android: Linux desktop on a smartphone -Beam brush turns Android into dental coach -Android-powered Google Glasses: The augmented reality HUD dream is coming -Google patents Siri-like voice controls for Google TV using Android phones, tablets -Angry Birds takes off for space March 22 EMAIL: Justin, Thanks for addressing my email on the last Android Atlas. While I am not the real Larry David (or the real Stephen Colbert) I do admire their work. WRT Google disapproving of turning a WiFi only Android phone into a cheap VOIP alternative, I would think that would only apply to the apps like GrooVe iP that try to imitate the free GMail/GTalk implementation. Sipdroid and CSipSimple, and the built in Gingerbread VOIP functionality really have nothing to do with Google Voice other than using Voice to ring your VOIP line. A VOIP line that you would have acquired from a third party. It wasn’t the perfect solution on my old, slow HTC Hero, but it was a bearable, cheap alternative once you got used to the Satellite Delay effect. And a warm welcome to Jaymar no matter what his proximity to the mic is. Happy Androiding – LD —– Dear Android Atlas gang, Just started listening to the podcast a couple weeks ago but am enjoying them very much. I now look forward to them every week. I have to admit that the podcasts have benefited greatly from the presence of the lovely and talented Emily Dreyfuss. Emily’s energy and infectious laugh are a good balance to the low-key, low-volume wisdom of Justin and The New One…..Jaymar is it? :) In fact, I’m willing to strike a bargain on Emily’s behalf. If she promises to make regular appearances on the podcast I will promise to purchase a new Android phone recommend by the Android Atlas team and act as a volunteer newbie guinea pig. I am a complete Luddite when it comes to consumer technology. I still use the same Nokia cell phone that came with a pre-paid AT&T Go Phone account I started in 2005. I also consider myself the only living American male under 34 that hasn’t watched a YouTube video on his own behalf. Anyway, it sounds like a win-win situation for all. Google/Android gets a new customer, Android Atlas gets a new smart phone-toting listener, I get a new phone and regular access to the cheerful musings of Ms. Dreyfuss. Love the show, keep up the good work! Sincerely, Mike Portland, OR —– Hey, Android Atlas While listening to you guys talk about the pros and cons of using a stylus on the Galaxy Note, I began thinking of a concept for an Android tablet that would stand head-and-shoulders above the iPad in terms of graphic design capabilities. It would be a 10″”-13″” Android tablet designed by Wacom and Adobe. The tablet would be full-featured and have higher-end specs, but would also utilize pen interface technologies like the ones used in Wacom’s Intuos drawing tablets. To complete the package, it would also come preloaded with a full-featured version of Adobe Photoshop that was made specifically for Android, with the option to purchase other Android-optimized Adobe Creative Suite apps online. This concept is just wishful thinking on my part, but I wanted to know what you guys thought about it. Would anyone (including Stephen) consider buying such a device? Do you think it could be successful or even commercially viable if it was priced at or below $700? Do you think an Android tablet with this set of features and design capabilities could be a true competitor to the iPad, and maybe even convert iPad loyalists? And lastly, is it possible to patent this concept and make a ton of cash in the unlikely event that Wacom and Adobe actually joined forces to make a tablet like this? Love the show, Adam from Utah —– Hey android atlasers: I was sad to see Antuan leave the show, but on the other hand I’m happy to hear jessica Del Cort. I like her very much. I hope I didn’t muder her name, but I suspect I did. Sorry! Edgar the Mafia Boss —– Justin and Jaymar, Love the show. Thanks for the news/updates. I am a T-mobile customer with 16 months left on my contract and I would like to change my LG G2X to another Android phone with a larger screen without loosing 4G speed. Do you know if I get an unlocked (GSM) Galaxy Nexus or Galaxy Note, and still be able to use 4G on T-mobile network? Is there any other large screen android phone except Samsung S2 that you can advise? Keep up the good work and bring Emily back to show more often. she is fun! Thanks - Ali You could potentially use an unlocked version on T-Mobile, but I can’t vouch that he’ll get the same speed or voice clarity as if the phone were optimized for the network. VOICEMAIL: Jerry from Toronto says he loves the Chrome Browser. Don’t get too crazy Jerry. Sam thinks Jessica Dolcourt is a spy for Apple SHOW DETAILS: BLOG cnet.com/android-atlas STREAM cnet.com/live/ TIME Wednesdays @ 10am PT EMAIL androidatlas@cnet.com TWITTER @androidatlas JAYMAR @jaymarcabebe JUSTIN @notmyrealname STEPHEN @stephenbeacham KARYNE @karynelevy PHONE 866-344-CNET (2638)

•    
  Android Atlas Weekly Ep. 85: Google Wallet has a hole in it (Podcast)

  2/15/2012

  Download

  Duration: Not Available

  Rumor Has It host Emily Dreyfuss joins us as we discuss Google Wallet getting hacked, Samsung's ubiquity, and the ongoing saga of Apple lawsuits. Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (640x360) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS (640x360) EPISODE 85 NEWS: -Latest Google Wallet hack picks your pocket -Verizon SNL Ad -Samsung Galaxy Note is a (gigantic) phone, not a tablet -Samsung Note 10.1? -Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 2, Ice Cream Sandwich and all -Revised Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 cleared for sale in Germany -Magically remove unwanted moving object from your pictures with Remove by Scalado -Plenty of new phones could land in Barcelona -European Commission and U.S. Department of Justice bless Google Motorola merger —– On last weeks show you mention problems with fragmentation however you only mentioned the software issues such as; OS versions and Custom overlays. I being a Samsung Moment owner and user (rooted of course its the only way it works), knows that fragmentation on the hardware level is far greater problem with android. Ultimately the internal components of the individual phones hinder android developers. I know my phone is way out of date hardware wise, but how many others don’t have dual core processors, dedicated graphics chips, multi-touch screens, front facing camera or barometers. It makes it extremely difficult to create a game or app that every can phone run it. Wait before you mention getting a new phone, I’m waiting on dual or quad core Sprint LTE phone. Thanks for you time. – Roy Great show, and welcome to the new co-hosts. —– I noticed in the last show that there was no mention of Google’s new privacy policy which is stirring up the Internet lately. Is this new policy going to affect any of Google services on Android? Are they going to be-able to use my Email contents, contacts, search history, etc… for ad-targeting or other issues I should be worried about? Is there an ad-blocker for non-root devices? Such as a browser ad-blocking plugin? I personally use AdBlock Plus on my PC and it really makes the browser much faster. I know Android supports proxy servers, and I have been able to configure an ad-blocking proxy server which works fine, but it’s on my home wifi network, so it’s not that easy to use away from home. An App the show hasn’t mentioned yet(or I missed an episode), which I would like to mention for anyone who reads news articles on their device is “”Google Currents”", it has a really slick magazine-like interface and CNet news is one of the included publications. Not sure if this is tablet-only, I only have an android tablet at the moment, no phone. Great show, and look forward to hearing input from your new co-hosts in future episodes. – Kevin —– Justin, wrt your suggestion that Google Voice improve itself by allowing Wi-Fi calls (a suggestion I wholeheartedly agree with) there are some apps that allow you to do this … sort of. Sipdroid and CSipSimple are two apps that act as SIP clients. If you have an existing SIP Account (e.g. Vonage Softphone or Sipgate) you can put your account info in and use the phone as a wifi phone. Gingerbread also allows you to receive internet calls to a configured SIP account but needs a GVoice Callback app ($3) to initiate calls over wifi – it basically mimics the Initiate Call function in the Google Voice website. There are also apps (usually costing around $5) that try to mimic the call functionality in Gmail – the best of which seems to be GrooVe IP.The good thing here is that it doesn’t need a SIP account. So as long as Google continues to offer free calls for Gmail this would work. As for why Google doesn’t offer this, I’m guessing it’s because of bandwidth, FCC rules around being a phone provider, or both. Look how long they’ve been promising number porting. Love the show. -LD —– Love the show and just wanted to add my two cents. I’m a retail consultant at sprint and had a to solve this for a lot of customers who got the Nexus S 4G. Gingerbread and later vanilla android does not support Facebook sync. It was removed from the OS and it only supports twitter now. Probably a privacy policy thing from Facebook and or Google. It was also an awful experience for most users cuz facebook sucks on mobile. For real. Not to say you can’t sync, though. Several apps sync pictures and contacts, but other than that you can only sync with sense and I believe touchwiz. I don’t know about blur, but frankly I doubt anyone cares. Love the show, keep the android news coming! – Stephen Colbert —– I’ve noticed that Jaymar has a soft voice, which is not a problem in and of itself, but he compounds the problem by frequently maintaining a large distance between himself and the microphone. You should coach him to be aware of this and maintain a closer, more constant distance to the mic. I’ll set a comfortable listening volume for the show, then he will say something and I’ll barely hear him. Increasing the volume level for his mic probably wouldn’t work because there are times when he is close enough to the mic and then his voice would be too loud. – Marc —– I am a couple of episodes behind, but have recently been hearing Justin comment on the battery life of his Galaxy Nexus (GN). I also bought one on the day they were released and also have the extended (2100mA) battery. The current released version of ICS on the GN is 4.0.2. Since that version was released Google has updated the code base on AOSP to 4.0.3 and fixed several problems. In order to get to 4.0.3 you currently have to root and rom the device. Fortunately, unlike Justin, I am not hesitant to do that. I am currently running IMOSYON’s LeanKernel and Codename Android’s ROM (links to rootzwiki versions). I’m actually on version’s 1.8 and 1.3.0, respectively, but I see that newer version’s are available. Might update after I finish this email. When I first got the device I experienced battery life similar to Justin, i.e. <3 hours under heavy use and <6hours even if I wasn't really using phone. Using the rom and kernel mentioned above, however, I am averaging about 17 hours per charge. This is per a battery monitoring program that's been running for a week and thus represents my normal high/low usage, 4g/wifi, good signal/bad signal with fully automated sync'ing of gmail / facebook / twitter, etc. The primary difference in battery usage appears to be the kernel ability to almost completely quit using juice when the device is not being used. Battery usage charts show between 1 and 2% / hour discharge when the screen is shutdown and I'm not listening to Pandora or something. The kernel seems fast at even stock clocks but defaults to 1.3GHz rather than the 1.2GHz so you also get a very noticeable speed bump. I know Justin isn't that excited about not using the default setup, but Google is almost certainly watching this kernel development and it clearly shows where this operating system can go…. – Bill —— SHOW DETAILS: BLOG cnet.com/android-atlas STREAM cnet.com/live/ TIME Wednesdays @ 10am PT EMAIL androidatlas@cnet.com TWITTER @androidatlas JUSTIN @notmyrealname JAYMAR @jaymarcabebe EMILY @EmilyDreyfuss PHONE 866-344-CNET (2638)