Phandroid Newsletter

Get weekly news recaps, access to exclusive contests and giveaways, invites to beta applications, promotions/coupons and more!

We respect your privacy. We'll never share your Email address and you can always unsubscribe.


April, 2011 Articles

Facebook for Android Updated with In-Status Friend Tags

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

Facebook has updated their Android app, slowly rounding out their mobile portal with features we have enjoyed on desktop browsers for some time now. The biggest addition in version 1.5.3 is the ability to tag your friends in status updates. Just as on the desktop equivalent, typing ‘@’ and a name will bring up a [...]

Motorola XOOM Passes the FCC Looking Prepped for AT&T

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

A couple months back it was mentioned in an interview with AT&T’s Chief Marketing Officer David Christopher that the carrier was slated to receive their own version of the Motorola XOOM later this year. A recent FCC filing could be all the confirmation we need that the plans are indeed in motion and a release may [...]

Apple Sues Samsung Over Galaxy Lineup’s Resemblance to iPhone

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

When I first compiled my review of the Samsung Galaxy S last summer, one of my minor gripes with the device was it’s overwhelming resemblance to the iPhone. The silhouette of the device, it’s singular “home” button foregoing Android’s typical four, and a user interface looking a bit too Apple-inspired made the device feel like [...]

T-Mobile G-Slate Set to Launch April 20th

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

With units already arriving in stores, a new internal memo going around T-Mobile is confirming what many suspected: the T-Mobile G-Slate will launch on April 20th. T-Mobile has an event planned for that day to celebrate the release of the G-Slate and G2x, two LG devices making an exclusive American debut with the carrier. Also [...]

First Shipments of the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Sold Out

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

If you are looking to get your hand’s on the newly released Eee Pad Transformer from ASUS, you will be waiting a bit longer. Initial shipments of the tablet have sold out in the UK, according to the manufacturer’s Facebook page. The Honeycomb tablet comes at a fairly reasonable price (£380 without laptop dock/£430 with), [...]

Grooveshark Returns to Android as a Third-Party Download

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

Google can keep Grooveshark out of the Android Market, but they sure can’t keep Grooveshark off of Android altogether. The app has returned in the form of a third-party download direct from the Grooveshark site. It still isn’t all that useful to those not paying the premium subscription fee — you only score a two-week [...]

Samsung Releases Android 2.3 Source for Galaxy S Gingerbread Update

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

After launching the update last week, Samsung — on a bit of a source code frenzy — has released Android 2.3  for the Galaxy S to their Open Source Developers Center. With the release, we expect the speedy creation of all sorts of custom Gingerbread ROMs for installation on Galaxy S devices yet to receive [...]

Droid Charge Captured on Video, Does Little to Excite Us

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

The name may have changed a time or two since, but the Samsung DROID Charge seen in the above video is looking mighty familiar to the device we first saw at CES earlier in the year. It wasn’t doing a whole lot to excite us then, and in this new footage it isn’t getting us [...]

Royal Wedding Gets Its Own App with Westminster Abbey 3D

by Kevin Krause on April 18th, 2011

Just because you won’t be anywhere near Westminster Abbey doesn’t mean you can’t experience the upcoming royal wedding first hand. An official Westminster Abbey application is Android Market-bound giving users a first hand look at the historical royal church and location of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. The application, called Abbey 3D, presents a [...]

US Cellular to Get Motorola XOOM This Quarter, Says Leak

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

New evidence has surfaced saying US Cellular would be carrying the Motorola XOOM. Sweet, but that’s about all we know for the time being except for its expected launch window – Q2’11. No word on whether or not this will have 3G radios for US Cellular’s CDMA network, either, so all we know is that [...]

Leak Says Verizon to Launch DROID Charge on 4/28; Bionic Said to Have Been Scheduled for May 12th

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

A new leak today suggests Verizon will have a huge launch day on the 28th of this month. In addition to the Xperia Play and DROID Incredible, the Samsung DROID Charge is the latest to be rumored to be launched on the aforementioned date. That seems a bit crowded to me. It lends credence to [...]

Verizon to Launch 4G LTE in a “Mess of New Cities” This Thursday

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

Verizon’s just tweeted about the ongoing expansion of their 4G LTE network – a mess of new cities will be getting the mobile broadband speeds they provide to select devices this Thursday. No exact number or list of cities was mentioned, but if it’s anything like their initial launch then a “mess” of cities will [...]

Dead Zebra’s New Android Collectible Series 02 Unboxing [Video, Future Giveaway]

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

We’ve just received a nice little package from the folks at Dead Zebra who last month announced and launched series 02 of their iconic and insanely popular Android collectible figures. It was only right to do an unboxing, so I of course did just that. We take a look at one of four random figures [...]

OGT Tablet Promises to Shake Things Up

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

OGT is said to be working on a tablet that’ll shake up the industry and make you wonder why some of the things on it weren’t already featured on other products. They still have yet to officially unveil the thing (we’ve known of their plans since February), but our friends at Android Central have uncovered [...]

Meizu MX Appears in Image; Will Boast Incredible Specs

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

Meizu is one of those companies who aren’t well know but makes some great hardware. (And software, for that matter.) I was blown away by their Android-running M9 when it was first unveiled and I still hate the fact that I can’t get one for myself. The folks at Meizu are looking to unveil a [...]

[Edit: Now Available] Angry Birds Seasons Easter Update Trailer [Video]

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

Easter’s this coming Sunday and Rovio promised they’d release the update to Seasons before the holiday makes its way to the forefront of our calendar. (Perhaps a “Good Friday” release is in order?) It only makes sense that this trailer has appeared online for all to get excited about bunny ears and colored rabbits. Check [...]

Orange Reveals Pricing and Availability for the Motorola ATRIX

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

Orange UK has just announced pricing and availability details for the Motorola ATRIX. The device itself is going to cost you 35 pounds per month (the upfront cost is free, of course), but don’t forget that there are some pretty nice accessories you can get to go along with it. They’re touting the “Work and [...]

O2 UK Getting Galaxy S II in May, First Ad Uploaded to YouTube

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

It’s a good day for Samsung fans. The Galaxy S Gingerbread update is rolling out across Europe, a new 2GHz dual-core phone is rumored to be here next year, and now O2 UK is confirmed to be getting the Galaxy S2 in May. And to top all of that off, Samsung has finally published their [...]

Vodafone UK Rolling Out Galaxy S Gingerbread Update Today

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

After hearing that countries like Holland and Germany got upgrades to Android 2.3 for the Samsung Galaxy S, we figured the UK and other European entities wouldn’t be far off. And we didn’t expect a carrier to get it out so soon for branded devices – Vodafone has just issued a statement regarding its arrival. [...]

Rumor: Samsung to Release 2GHz Dual-Core Phone As Powerful As a PC

by Quentyn Kennemer on April 18th, 2011

This is the type of rumor I like to see on a crisp Monday morning. According to a supposed high-ranking executive at Samsung, the company will look to release the world’s most powerful smartphone sometime in 2012. What exactly will make it the most powerful, you ask? How about a dual-core 2GHz processor – one [...]