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May, 2011 Articles

LauncherPro Update Adds Real Homescreen Looping and Icon Packs

by Quentyn Kennemer on May 17th, 2011

Federico Carnales – famed LauncherPro developer – has unleashed version .8.6 in the Android market and brings with it some interesting changes. One is real homescreen looping. If you used the looping feature in .8.5, you’ll know it wasn’t really looping –  it just quickly bounced you back to the left or right-most homescreen as [...]

Rumor: Samsung Hercules is a 4.5 Inch Dual-Core Beast for T-Mobile, But It Isn’t a Galaxy S II

by Quentyn Kennemer on May 17th, 2011

Our friends at This Is My Next have uncovered another supposed forthcoming phone. This time, T-Mobile is getting some 4.5 inch love from Samsung in the form of the Hercules. (Quite the appropriate name if this spec sheet is accurate.) You’re most likely going to think about the Infuse 4G, but that phone wasn’t dual [...]

Nexus S 4G Having Reception Issues?

by Quentyn Kennemer on May 17th, 2011

A new device, another boatload of problems storming in. This time, the Nexus S 4G is giving users signal trouble. Users report that they sometimes can not get any type of signal – be it 4G, 3G, or 1xTT – in certain instances while other Sprint phones are getting strong signals in those same areas. [...]

SPB Wallet for Android Now Available

by Quentyn Kennemer on May 17th, 2011

Yes, things have been quite scary with all of this talk about trojans, malware and data theft plaguing the Android platform. While an extremely vast majority of Android users should have nothing to worry about in those regards, people are still concerned. I know a few of you might approach SPB Wallet with caution because [...]

Download: Try Out the Dolphin HD 5 Beta

by Quentyn Kennemer on May 17th, 2011

The folks at Dolphin have been hard at work on the next iteration of their popular Android browser, but only a select group of people were able to get their hands on the latest up until this point. They’ve announced a public beta for version 5.0, though. Changes may not seem significant on the surface, [...]

Intel: You’ll See Us Inside Phones in the Earlier Parts of 2012

by Quentyn Kennemer on May 17th, 2011

Intel has already laid out plans to produce mobile chipsets with Android support. We still don’t know how good these will be and how they’ll do up against competition at this point, but Intel’s given a hint as to when we’ll start seeing the first devices with their chipsets embedded – early 2012. I imagine [...]

New Gingerbread Leak for Epic 4G Arrives, And It’s Stable Enough [EE03]

by Quentyn Kennemer on May 17th, 2011

This isn’t the first Gingerbread leak for the Samsung EPIC 4G, but the first one was really unstable. GPS didn’t work, 4G didn’t work and there was just a sea of other issues that had people running back to Froyo. The folks behind ACS have gotten their hands on yet another leak, though. This one [...]

Google starts rolling out Music Beta invites to Verizon Motorola XOOM owners

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

When we first caught wind of Google’s launch of Music Beta, word was that both attendees of Google I/O and owners of the  Motorola XOOM would be first to gain access to the invite-only service. Google I/O’s announcement passed and only attendees of the event were given their invites, but XOOM owners are indeed still [...]

New KDDI Infobar interface gives Windows Phone 7 a run for its money

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

What do you get when you take an Android 2.3 base layer and stack a slick interface on top? The new look of Japan’s KDDI Infobar line of phones as they cross into the smartphone age. Yes, it does look a lot like Windows Phone 7, tiles and all, but that’s not going to stop [...]

Trade in your old mobile phone, regardless of carrier, and get credit towards a new one at T-Mobile

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

T-Mobile is putting their own spin on the trade-in programs that have become pretty popular as of recent times. Customers can now trade-in any existing mobile device from any carrier for up to $300 off of the purchase of a new handset from T-Mobile. We doubt many will be getting that full $300 in return [...]

Red HTC Inspire 4G headed to RadioShack

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

If you’re looking for something a little more colorful than your standard grey/black smartphone, check out this version of the HTC Inspire 4G headed to RadioShack. The red color scheme looks mighty poppin’ on this 4G handset from AT&T. Release details are scant, meaning there are none. Also without a price or date is a [...]

LG Revolution coming to Verizon May 26, as well?

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

Verizon’s going to have their hands full on May 26th if a few rumors pan out, the newest of which places the LG Revolution’s launch on that date. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play was just officially announced for release on that Thursday, and you may recall that the Motorola Droid X2 is also rumored to [...]

Barnes & Noble has a special announcement planned for May 24

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

What could Barnes & Noble have up their sleeve for May 24th? The retailer just sent out invitations to press for an event to be held in NYC, and it would seem a new device is headed to Nook lineup. Speculation is wavering between a beefed up NOOKcolor or a new version of the original [...]

Official: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play on sale at Verizon May 26 for $199, pre-orders begin May 19

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

Verizon has just made the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play official, announcing the availability of the handset for May 26th with pre-orders beginning May 19th. The Android 2.3 handset and its slide-out gamepad will go for $199.99 on a two-year contract. The phone runs on a 1GHz Snapdragon II CPU, has a 4-inch [...]

Personal data vulnerable to security exploit on 99 percent of Android devices

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

Of all the security exploits to have been uncovered in Android so far, this one might take the cake. It affects 99 percent of Android users and does by exploiting digital tokens stored on devices after authenticating password-protected services. According to The Register, the security breach is the result of a poorly executed ClientLogin protocol, [...]

Radioshack Begins HTC EVO 3D Pre-Orders, No Launch Date Yet

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

If you want to be one of the first kids on the block to own the HTC EVO 3D, it couldn’t hurt to head to your local Radioshack and inquire about pre-ordering the device, which still holds no official launch date. The Shack won’t be advertising the pre-sale, but employees have been given the go [...]

Vodafone delays launch of Xperia Play for New Zealand after initial shipment stolen

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

A shipment of Sony Ericsson Xperia Play handsets was intercepted by thieves in what sounds like a plot ripped right from a game fit for the handset. The shipment was en route to New Zealand for the launch of the Xperia Play when it was stolen, but the exact number of units missing is unknown. [...]

LIVE in NYC: Join Phandroid, Samsung, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 on June 2nd! [EVENTS]

by Rob Jackson on May 17th, 2011

Erase your calendar. Clear the schedule. On June 2nd, 7pm to 10pm Phandroid and Samsung will be LIVE In NYC and YOU can join us! You’ll have a chance to go hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 – the Android 3.0 Honeycomb Tablet that caused such a stir at Google IO – and 5 lucky [...]

Motorola Droid X2 Surfaces at Motorola Support Site

by Kevin Krause on May 17th, 2011

We’re just a little over a week away from the launch of the follow up to the Droid X, and VZW and Moto are having a hard time keeping the thing under wraps before an official announcement. Motorola’s support site now shows the Droid X2 in all its dual-core, qHD display glory. You can even [...]

Android Overload: HTC Cha-Cha Passes Through FCC, Sony Ericsson Leaks New Handsets and More

by Chris Chavez on May 17th, 2011

Its that time again! Time to get yourself another dose of Android Overload. There was a megaton of breaking news and leaks all throughout today. So, even though you may find the roundup a little skimpy tonight, rest assured that we, at Phandroid, are working hard behind the scenes to bring you more featured articles, [...]