Google lists “best apps of 2012″ on Google Play

If you just picked up a new Android device for the holidays, or you’re looking for some good new apps, then you may want to head to the Google Play store. Google has now listed their “best apps of 2012″, and there’s some good titles to be found, including Evernote, Pinterest, Zappos, and many more.

All of the apps (sans one) are free, so why not take a few minutes and check out the list? Hit the source link below, and let us know what you  think in the comments.

via google play

Acer launching a $99 tablet next year?

Acer has been quiet on the tablet front as of late long time now, but it seems that they are planning to make a comeback. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Acer is working on a tablet that will be launched next year which would cost around just $99 and reportedly come to market as the Iconia B1. The pictures of the tablet were actually leaked on a Benchmark forum, and the source of WSJ confirmed that the pics are authentic.

It is said that it will feature a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024 x 600 – not bad for a tablet with such price tag – and will be powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. The tablet made its way to theFCC as well, which gives a hint that the tablet might land in USA as well.

So tell us, what are your thoughts about this? If it’s real, would you consider it?

Nexus 7 price drop coming in Q1 2013 with thinner, lower-cost screens

Is a cheaper Nexus 7 on the way? Industry suppliers cited as sources in a recent DigiTimesreport seem to think so. Apparently, Nexus 7 units that are currently in production make use of a new, lower-cost touchscreen technology that is expected to bring the price down all the way to $99 a piece.

The new touchscreen technology, called glass-film-film or GFF, hails from a company called O-Film Tech which started shipping products for the Nexus 7 this month. This is according to a report on the Taiwanese DigiTimes, where it is also said that GFF will not only make the Nexus 7 cheaper, but thinner as well.

A $99 Nexus 7 would be very appealing, for sure, but according to the same report mentioned above, some market observers already suspect it won’t be possible to price it that low; that the lowest possible price for the ex-flagship Google tablet, at least for now, lies somewhere in the $129-$149 range. This is because of supposed limits on “how far the companies can drive down costs in their supply chain.”

In any case, a price drop on the Nexus 7 is probably inevitable once 2013 finally rolls around. But just how much of a price drop this is going to be exactly still remains to be seen.

Google launches their own Santa Tracker complete with Android application

NORAD might have deserted Google Maps this year in favour of Microsoft to power their Santa Tracker, but Google has gone ahead and come out with their own apps anyway. Santa Tracker is available to download now for both Android devices and for Google Chrome. Perfect for the kids -- and the big kids.

Naturally, at the moment the apps don't do a lot. All we see is a countdown screen as to when Santa will be taking off. The app should start working from 02:00 PST on Christmas Eve, as jolly old St Nick begins his global journey. When the app does kick into gear, we'll be treated to all kinds of Santa based information such as the number of presents delivered, his route plan, and when he'll depart in your part of the world. All this is displayed using Google Maps. 

And, if that's not enough, through the power of Google Voice, you can go and request a personal call from the big guy himself. That does seem limited to North America though -- but then, if Santa's using Google Voice, North America is all he can call.

Source: AndroidCentral

Google Blames Nexus 4 Shortage On LG

Google has a real winner on its hands with the Nexus 4. It’s arguably the world’s most cost-effective Android superphone. At an unlocked price of just $299 for the 8GB version and $349 for the 16GB version, the Nexus 4 has been winning the hearts, minds, and wallets of users all over the world.

But there are two major flaws with the Nexus 4. The first flaw is that the Nexus 4 doesn’t include 4G LTE coverage. That’s Google’s fault, as they didn’t feel 4G LTE functionality was worth it. But the second flaw is the fault of the manufacturer – LG.

That second fault is the fact that the Nexus 4 is virtually impossible to buy. The phone is primarily sold through the Google Play Store. But every time a new shipment arrives, the phones sell out within hours and leave customers with 12 week or longer waiting times.

Google has taken a lot of heat for this issue. But apparently, it’s not their fault. Google is laying the blame for the device shortage on LG, which is its manufacturing partner. Google says that:

“Supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed…I can offer an unreserved apology for our service and communication failures in this process.”

In other words, LG hasn’t been able to keep up with the demand. But on the other hand, Google didn’t anticipate high demand for the Nexus 4 in the first place or else it would have initially manufactured a lot more.

So while it’s easy to look at the Nexus 4 like a cruel joke (an awesome phone that nobody can buy), you probably shouldn’t blame Google for your inability to get your hands on it.

How To Make Your Android Run Like It’s A Stock Device

For those who don’t already know, there are two broad groups of Android devices. There are stock Android devices which run the ‘vanilla’ Android operating system, and then there are third-party Androids which run a modified version of that operating system.

Any device with ‘Nexus’ in its name – like the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, or Samsung Galaxy Nexus – is considered a stock Android device with the basic Android OS installed. Meanwhile, popular Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S3 come with a version of Android that was modified by Samsung to include Samsung apps and dozens of UI changes.

Stock Android is pure Android. Stock Androids tend to be faster and contain less bloatware. The UI is cleaner and more reliant on default Google apps.

It’s easy to appreciate stock Android. And if you want to experience the magic of stock Android on your non-stock Android device, then there are three ways you can do that:

METHOD 1) ROOT YOUR ANDROID USING ONE CLICK ROOT

Rooting strips away all of the ‘improvements’ that have been made to the Android OS on your device. When you use a program like One Click Root, rooting only takes a few minutes to complete. And once you have root access to your Android, it will run a vanilla version of Android.

Rooting also gives you access to a number of other unique apps and cool rooting benefits.

METHOD 2) BUY A STOCK ANDROID DEVICE

There are plenty of Stock Androids available for sale today. Many of them are made by Google. Unfortunately, Google’s smartphones and tablets are notoriously difficult to buy because – for whatever reason – Google never makes enough to keep up with demand.

If you want to buy into the stock Android experience, you can check out the following devices:

-Nexus 4

-Nexus 7

-Nexus 10

-Samsung Galaxy Nexus

METHOD 3) INSTALLING APPS THAT LOOK LIKE STOCK ANDROID

If you don’t want to pay for a new Android and don’t want to root it yourself, then you can easily download some apps that make your device look like it’s running stock Android. Here are some of our favorite stock Android-looking apps that will improve the appearance of your smartphone or tablet:

Lockscreen: Your lockscreen is the first thing you notice when you turn on your Android. It’s a central part of the vanilla Android experience. You can create a nice-looking vanilla lockscreen thanks to a free app called Holo Locker.

Launcher: Once you’ve unlocked your phone, you’ll want to use a vanilla Android launcher to access your apps in the most authentic way possible. Download the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean launcher from the Google Play Store in order to setup your homescreens like they look on any stock Android device.

Camera: Third-party Androids come with their own camera app installed. You can download the stock Android camera experience for Jelly Bean here or for Ice Cream Sandwich here

Photo gallery: I don’t know about you, but I spent a lot of time browsing through my lovely Android gallery of photos. It’s one of the most-used apps on my phone, and the minimalistic interface of the stock Android gallery app makes browsing through photos a breeze. Download the Ice Cream Sandwich gallery for free from here.

Other Android apps to download if you want to access the stock Android experience (or at least make your phone look like it’s accessing the stock Android experience):

-Calculator

-Clock

-Jelly Bean 4.2 Keyboard

-Jelly Bean Messaging apps

-Calendar

-Ice Cream Sandwich browser

CONCLUSION – SHOULD YOU USE STOCK ANDROID?

If you don’t want to spend a few minutes rooting your Android, then you can make your Android look and perform like it’s a stock system by downloading the apps we’ve linked to above.

When you use stock Android, you’re using Android the way Google intended you to use it. When you use an Android that’s been modified by third-parties like Samsung, HTC, or LG, you’ve diluted that experience and added pointless apps that you may never use.

How To Get Gesture Typing From Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

How To Get Gesture Typing From Android 4.2 Jelly

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean was announced yesterday and with all of the great new features, one such feature was with the keyboard. Typically, the stock keyboard hasn’t changed much over the years, but now users with 4.2 can use gestures when typing.

If you’re familiar with Swype, it’s basically the same thing. You swipe your finger from character to character instead of touching each one. Even though pre-installed gesture typing is supposed to only be available in 4.2, some awesome developer or developrs have managed to bring it over to devices running Ice Cream Sandwich and up.

The good news is your phone doesn’t have to be rooted (unless you have a Nexus). The potentially bad news is it won’t work on all stock Android custom ROMS, won’t work at all on stock Android builds distributed by Google, and works best on phones with a UI overlay with the stock keyboard disabled.

All you have to do is download an APK and simply install it. You can get the APK from either this mirror or this mirror. If you have a Nexus device, your phone will have to be rooted and you’ll have to flash a ZIP file via recovery. You can grab the flashable zip here or here.

If the APK doesn’t seem to work, well, you’ll know that it’s simply not meant to be. We’re not responsible for any potential issues caused by installing the APK. If you missed the new gesture feature in Android 4.2, below is a quick video showing it off:

Android OS Deemed Hotter than iOS

It’s a popularity contest, and Android is the cool kid in school. Sure, we’re biased (this is Android Headlines, after all), but we’re not the only ones who think so.

BIGinsight conducted a customer service in regard to mobile phone operating systems where consumers were asked if both Apple’s iOS and Android’s OS were “hot” or “not.” Not exactly the most scientific of all surveys, but it still came across with plenty of interesting data. (It’s important to note that consumers weren’t asked to directly compare the two OS systems but to evaluate whether both systems were “hot.” This little tidbit will help the results make more sense.)

Consumers voted Android “hot” at a slightly higher percentage in the overall category, but the numbers varied more when broken down by generation. Overall, 53% of a sample of 9,000 adults 18+ rated Android positively, and 51.4% of the same group rated Apple well.

Of the Millennials (a.k.a “Gen Y”), 64% recognized that Android was doing well, and 61.95% fell that Apple was also doing a great job. Gen X felt the strongest about Android, giving Android 58.6% approval and Apple 53.4% approval. Boomers were mostly split down the middle in regards to the OS systems, while the “Silent” generation (born before 1946) sided with Apple (46.8% compared to 41.4% for Android).

What does all of this mean? Only old people use iPhones? No, that’s not what one survey can tell us, but it does show interesting opinions by age group. Public perception places Android’s system at higher rate of popularity among younger crowds, while older generations prefer Apple.

Going forward, both sides of the OS division need to figure out why their audiences feel the way they do. If Android is more popular because of customization, then Google needs to integrate it even further. Apple may even have to make some adjustments themselves if the preference toward Android continues to grow.

The other aspect to keep in mind with this is to consider who has the most spending power. Generally, older generations have more income, and they purchase larger gifts for younger generations. But, college kids have lots of discretionary income (even if they don’t admit it), and they might be able to convince relatives to buy them Android devices instead.

Source: BIGinsight

Samsung Announce The Galaxy Premier; Finally

The Galaxy Premier

As with quite a lot of other devices, we’ve heard a lot about them before release and it seems like we all know what’s coming. This seems no more true than with the Galaxy Premier as we’ve had leaked benchmarks all the way to press images. Granted, it wasn’t as good as the leaks surrounding LG’s Nexus 4 but, we got more than enough. We’ve been hearing things surrounding the Galaxy Premier from as early as this past summer, rumors circled around the model number at first, being i9260 makes the device very close to the i9250 model number of the Galaxy Nexus, setting sparks alight of this being a successor to the Galaxy Nexus for a set of 5 phones. We didn’t see 5 phones and we didn’t see anything too similar to the Galaxy Nexus. It seems that Samsung has some stock left over from the Galaxy Nexus and can do something with it.

The Galaxy Premier is finally official and we can now confirm that it’s essentially a Galaxy Nexus dressed up as a Galaxy S III. Other than that, the device is confirmed to be packing the following specs:

• 4.65-inch screen, 720 x 1,280 Super AMOLED panel,
• Dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor
• 8MP rear-facing camera with a 1.9MP front-facing camera
• 1GB of RAM
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, WiFi,
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 2100 mAh Battery

Okay so, maybe this is a little more than a Galaxy Nexus in fancy dress but, the concept is essentially the same, this is parts from the Galaxy Nexus put together with some new parts to make this strange device in the Galaxy S III line-up. It’s going to be available in the Ukraine soon, for roughly $680 but, that’s a straight conversion so don’t take out word for it. When it comes to it, I wonder what Samsung is doing with this device and what sort of market they’re selling it to, it’s essentially a smaller Galaxy S III but as small as the Mini, making it some strange device that is closer to the S III than the S III Mini. Samsung, I realize that you have a lot of screen stock floating around but, that doesn’t mean you have to sell devices that don’t immediately show a purpose.

Source: Engadget

Featured Android App Review: Flipboard

Fortunately for applications that came along to play great online. While Google Reader is useful to collect the contents of a variety of online sources, experience is utilitarian. Of course, it works. It works very well, but this is not a design that immediately draws you in.

LG Nexus 4 release date set for October 29, Le Figaro says

Today is quite a day for Android rumors and leaks, especially when it comes to devices such as the upcoming LG

Uncovered: Google creating a “Nexus Call Center” for device support

A new job finding suggests that Google is trying to recruit employees to work in a call

Rumour: Android 4.2 coming November with LG Optimus G Nexus

Rumours abound of a new Nexus smartie from LG, plus updated Jelly Bean