Samsung Galaxy S3: The truth is out there

We have seen and heard far too many rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S3. We “know” almost everything about the device, including the display, the size, the processor, the internal storage, the camera, and the battery. The only problem is, none of it might be true. Or all of it could be. We will not know for sure until the official announcement, which is expected to be May 22 in London. But again, that is another rumor that needs validation.

Apart from specification rumors, we’ve also been seeing numerous images of the supposedly real Galaxy S3. Most were easy to identify as fakes, while some were completely different devices. But we aren’t any closer to getting any accurate information about the phone than the day we first heard the name “Samsung Galaxy S3.”

After a lot of visitors commented along the lines of “Stop talking about the S3 because you don’t know anything about it,”  I started to wonder as to why. Why don’t we know anything concrete about this phone yet? Especially if we are as close to the launch as we think.

Up to eight weeks before a launch, manufacturers are known to send out their devices for carrier testing. While most vendors would do anything to prevent information leaks, it is during this carrier testing phase that we receive the most credible leaks, including specification sheets, “future” press shots, and, in some extreme cases, even hands-on videos.

According to the Korean Financial and Tech Blog ET News, Samsung had sent out the Galaxy S3 for carrier testing over six weeks ago, which is in line with our estimated release date.

Yes! We finally get to see the real Galaxy S3! Not quite.

In a move straight out of Apple’s playbook, Samsung is using disguised prototypes, said to be in a “lunch box” design, when sending out the device for testing. If you are confused, what this means is that while the internal hardware and device firmware are the same, the casing itself is inconspicuous and is nothing like the final design of the product. This allows carriers to test the device, while also preventing information leaks.

This ploy is a brilliant way to maintain secrecy, and without an semi-official leak, allow Samsung to make design changes right until the launch. Who knows, all the speculation and rumors so far might be a part of Samsung’s strategy to find out what, we, the consumers, would like to see on its next flagship device.

All we know for certain at this point, and something we knew all along, is that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will feature the Android 4.0 OS.

What are your thoughts? Do we now have concrete information on why we don’t have any concrete information about the Galaxy S3? Also, how many times have I stated or implied a rumor in this article?

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Google might not sell Motorola’s hardware division after all, according to fresh report

If you haven’t got enough drama from the Motorola-Google merger, which is closing to a year in the making but is still not a done deal, a new episode of the soap-opera involving the two companies has apparently debuted.

I am talking about Google’s plans for Motorola’s hardware division, which are murky, to say the least. Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that, according to “trusted sources”, Google might be planning to get rid of Moto’s hardware department as soon as possible, with Huawei shaping out to be the most likely buyer.

However, according to an even fresher rumor, coming from Digitimes (who else?), Larry Page and Sergey Brin are actually far from being prepared to sell off Motorola.

The guys at Digitimes are citing sources in “Taiwan’s handset industry” and appear to be convinced that Google is very interested in the hardware business, at least for now. That seemed pretty unlikely until now, as it could lead up to conflicts in the “Android family”, but we have to admit that today’s report makes at least as much sense as yesterday’s did.

We talked yesterday about Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony, and all the other Google partners in the Android business and how they could become dissatisfied with a preferential treatment given to Motorola. Then again, we must keep in mind that the smartphone vendors are currently doing pretty well (especially Sammy) and they wouldn’t want to risk their positions in the market by venturing outside Google’s protective wing, would they?

Also, in all honesty, HTC and Samsung were themselves given preferential treatment in the past from Google, with the Nexus co-branded smartphones, so why shouldn’t Moto receive its chance as well?

Another good point that today’s Digitimes report makes refers to Motorola’s hardware division and how it not only covers smartphones and tablet PCs, but also STBs (set-top boxes). Moto has some long-term cooperation relationships with telecom carriers and cable TV operators as well, so Google’s executive team might not be very keen in giving up on all these potential money-making machines so fast. Google TV might benefit from Big M’s expertise in this matter. Plus, Apple might release its long-rumored smart TV this year, so Google will need all hands on deck to counter it.

While this rumor seems credible enough to at least be taken into consideration when talking about Google’s relationship with Motorola, we should keep in mind that it’s nothing else than a rumor coming from fishy sources. Also, it contradicts yesterday’s speculations, so things could go either way, as far as I’m concerned.

What do you guys think? Is Google seriously thinking about selling Motorola’s hardware division or will it keep the department running and get into the hardware manufacturing business. Or, are the search giants’ executives as undecided as these rumors seem to be, at least for now? I personally incline towards the third option and think that they still don’t have a definitive plan concerning this area of business, but that’s just my humble opinion.

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MessagEase Keyboard: Optimized keyboard layout for faster typing

Do you have very big fingers? Many users have problems typing on their mobile phones because they have big fingers, which in turn causes inaccurate typing because the letters on the onscreen keyboard are so small.

Because of this, many users have a hard time in composing messages and consume a significant amount of time just to type several words. To solve this problem there is now a new type of onscreen keyboard called MessagEase Keyboard which is developed to optimize the number of words that a person can type. The keys of the keyboard are larger than that of a usual QWERTY keyboard, which makes typing easier.

As described by its developers, MessagEase is a smart, fast, and accurate way to enter full text on your Android device.  It is also claimed to be the world’s fastest touchscreen keyboard. This claim seems very justifiable because based on user reviews of the app, many users actually like it. Some like it because it helps reduce mistakes when typing.  Though, it does take some getting used to, especially if your QWERTY habits are deeply ingrained in your fingertips.

How It Works

The aim of this app is really to make typing faster and to reduce mistakes when typing words. The keyboard has nine keys that represent several letters.  Because of such compression, there are fewer but larger keys. As a result, mistakes are minimized because you don’t accidentally tap other keys beside the key that you want to tap, which is what usually happens when you use a QWERTY keyboard.

This keyboard resembles the old-school keypads of the first Nokia phones, but what makes MessagEase Keyboard even better is that each of the nine keys represent the most frequently used letters: A, N, I, H, O, R, T, E, and S.  Tapping on the key will input the main character that it represents.

The nine main keys also represent the less frequently used letters.  To input such letters, you simply slide your finger in the direction of the minor letter–either towards the center key (“O”) or away from the center key.

So, for instance, to input the letter V, slide from the A key towards the O key.  To input the letter M, slide away from the R key towards the O key.  To input the letter P, slide away from the O key towards the I key.  And so on.

MessagEase Keyboard also has a word prediction feature so that you don’t have to type all the letters of a word.

The latest version of the app has new features such as improved gesture recognition, expanded word list, enhanced text entry prediction, word prediction, and even voice-enabled speech input via Google Voice integration.  You can also change the shape, size, and color of the keys, as well as the default language.

MessagEase Keyboard is absolutely free in the Google Play Store. Download it now and try a new way of typing your text on your Android phone.

Have you tried the odd layout of MessagEase Keyboard?  Does it live up to its promise of faster and easier typing?

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LG’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the upcoming 4.7-inch D1L

Previously today, we’ve talked about LG’s plans to develop a “thinking smartphone”, a very interesting endeavor that aims to put the South Korean smartphone manufacturer above local rival Samsung (as well as other major manufacturers around the globe). But, as the thinking smartphone is probably at least a couple of years from entering production, it does make a lot of sense for LG to prepare for a much more imminent threat posed to its already modest sales, namely the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S3.

Unfortunately, all we have at this point are a bunch of rumored specs for the Galaxy S3. But I’m sure a lot of our regular readers have figured it out by now that none of the smartphones announced by LG at MWC in early March can stand as a real competitor to Samsung’s next flagship superphone.

Fortunately for all Android fans out there, LG seems to have figured that out as well, and, according to recent reports, is planning the release of a worthy contender to the rivals’ S3. Although the production name of this device is unknown, the upcoming LG smartphone in question is referred to as the LG D1L.

According to recent rumors, the LG D1L will feature a 4.7-inch LCD display running at a native 1280 x 720 pixel resolution (there will be none of that 3D screen madness that LG has tried – with limited success – to push over the last couple of years). The device will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 SoC, which makes use of a 1.5GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A15-based CPU – probably the best smartphone CPU currently available. Of course, on top of that impressive hardware, LG D1L will run the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The LG D1L, expected to be released in May 2012, is touted as LTE-compatible, meaning it will probably reach the US and LG’s native South Korea first, while common sense dictates that a 3G HSPA+ version of the D1L will be released in European markets as well, by the end of Q2 2012.

Overall, while the rumored specs for the LG D1L are fairly decent, I’m willing to bet that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will sell many times more units, just out of the inertia of the Galaxy series alone. The D1L will be more like an alternative the HTC One S than a serious threat to the S3.

As always, feel free to contradict me in the comment section below, gloves off!

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OnLive switches to Windows Server to comply with licensing, handwriting feature is collateral victim

OnLive’s innovative Desktop App was launched about a month ago on Android, and, in just a few short weeks, it became very popular among gadget lovers all over the world. Offering an almost complete Windows 7 experience and the Office productivity suite for free on Android and iOS, it wasn’t difficult to predict its booming success, but also its legal problems.

Microsoft doesn’t take kindly on developers offering their premium products (or variations of these) for less than what they usually charge, so it didn’t come as a huge surprise when one of the company’s officials took a stand a few weeks back.

According to Joe Matz, VP of Worldwide Licensing and Pricing for Microsoft, OnLive wasn’t  “properly licensed” to offer the Desktop App in its initial form, but the software giant was “actively engaged with OnLive” to bring them into such a licensed scenario.

In other words, Microsoft didn’t give its blessing for OnLive to offer its flagship products for free, but was, in fact, willing to come to a compromise, probably involving some sort of financial compensation. At least that’s what we thought back in March, when we were predicting that, soon enough, the OnLive Desktop App will either be pulled from Google Play and Apple’s Appstore, or it will stop being offered for free.

Well, an interesting development on the matter has happened probably earlier than we all expected and neither of the two pessimistic scenarios seems to have become reality. According to an OnliveFans.com blog post, the OnLive Desktop app has now replaced Windows 7 with Windows Server 2008, which adheres to VDI/SPLA licensing and should solve the legal conflict between OnLive and Microsoft that was so close to exploding.

The good news is that, with just a technical measure, the OnLive app should now be in compliance with Microsoft licensing policies, without any major change in terms of appearance or functionality that would drive users away. In fact, the only major change that users will notice is the loss of the handwriting function on the app’s keyboard (this is because the feature is only supported in Windows 7). Other than that, the OnLive Desktop App looks and behaves the same as before, which is great news for all its fans.

The even better news is that, if things stand as they are right now, the app will still be offered for free in the future. On the other hand, we should not get overly ecstatic at the moment, because, for the time being, we aren’t sure if the app is actually in full compliance of Microsoft licensing. Also, we still don’t know if the two parties reached an agreement when it comes to licensing the Office apps.

Neither OnLive, nor Microsoft, have released any official statement on the matter, so you should stay tuned on our website for updates on this report.

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Samsung’s winning streak: 41 million smartphones sold in Q1, $5.15 billion profit

Samsung’s consistent financial run over the last couple of years doesn’t seem to be gearing towards an end any time soon. According to figures quoted by KoreaTimes.co.kr, Sammy has sold no less than 41 million smartphones in Q1 2012, posting, at the same time, a record operating profit of 5.8 trillion Korean won ($5.15 billion).

The first of these two figures, while extremely impressive, is on-par with the predictions we reported a week ago. At that time, Samsung seemed to be heading towards quarterly sales of 40 to 44 million smartphones, so taking that into consideration, Sammy could have actually done a tad better.

On the other hand, you should not forget that we are dealing with estimates, so in reality things could actually be a bit different. I wouldn’t expect huge gaps between the estimated figures and the official ones, though. Moreover, we will probably never learn the official sales numbers, meaning that we will have to take Korea Times’ information as is.

Like I said, Samsung’s sales results don’t come as a huge shock for pretty much anybody, but the 45 trillion won operating profit can surely be described as a nice surprise. The estimates for the January-March period mark a 96.6%  increase over the same period of last year, as well as a 9.4% gain over the previous quarter. That’s really something, especially considering that sales are usually weaker at the beginning of a year.

50 million smartphones in three months? It can be done, even without the Galaxy S3

After such a great year, with constant sales improvements and a huge profit boost, we have to ask ourselves where will Samsung be drawing the lines of success from now on. I mean, if they managed to sell 41 million smartphones in what is usually the slowest part of the year, where will they be going from here?

Our good colleague and friend Bogdan spoke about Samsung’s near future last week and said that the giant could sell as much as 50 million smartphones in the next three months if the S3 will be released anytime before June. Well, I’m willing to call his prediction and up the ante a bit, saying that Sammy can sell 50 million smartphones even without the Galaxy S3. What makes me say something as crazy-sounding as that? First of all, the Galaxy Note “phablet”, whose sales have been booming lately.

Secondly, it seems that Sammy has been doing a great job in the low-end and mid-range market niches over the past few months, so I suspect this to be going on for a little while longer. And thirdly, I’m basing my prediction on recent history, cold facts, and numbers.

Samsung has enjoyed sales grow rates of between 15% and 60% quarter over quarter, this past year. For example, in Q2 2011, Sammy sold 20.2 million smartphones, while in the following three months period, it sold no less than 28.1 million devices. From 28.1 million, the number quickly grew to 36.5 and now we have 41 million. To jump from 41 to 50 million, the Koreans would need a 21% increase. Is such an feat easy to achieve? Of course not. Can Sammy pull it off? I think it can, and I am willing to bet that it will, with or without the S3.

What do you guys think? Can Samsung continue to grow, even without the Galaxy S3’s launch before June? Is the sky the limit for Sammy or will their sales and profits drop soon enough? Hit us back with a comment and let us know your opinions on the subject!

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Free GPS extension kit for Asus Transformer Prime owners

The Asus Transformer Prime TF201 is, quite possibly, the stuff that dreams are made of for a lot of Android fans, except for one annoying flaw that has been plaguing the tablet — its GPS function. Many users have been experiencing various problems, from difficulty to lock onto signals to slight reading inaccuracies. Fortunately, Asus is taking a proactive approach in ensuring that Transformers users are happy with the capabilities of their beloved device. The Taiwanese company plans to give away an external GPS extension kit to deal with the GPS-related problems, once and for all.

The news was first reported by members of the XDA-developers forum. An email communication with a Asus product manager revealed that the GPS dongle will be given for free to Asus Transformer Prime TF201 owners. The dongle is expected to improve GPS signal reception on the tablet and optimize user experience.

If you’re worried that the dongle will affect the looks of the TF201, Asus has thought about that as well. The dongle apparently will be of a minimalist design that matches the color of the tablet. According to people who have seen the kit, it would fit in unobtrusively on the bottom part of the Prime when held in landscape mode.

It’s possible that the dongle is the same GPS extension kit for Asus Transformer Prime TF201 that has been spotted on the Korean electronic device regulator’s website, though the release date is still unknown. You can get the free GPS extension kit by visiting Asus’ member website. You will have to register your tablet first if you haven’t already done so.

Look, we all know the perils of being early technology adopters and how there’s always the chance of getting unwanted extra features. While Asus should’ve made sure that the product they are releasing is fit for use in the first place, we applaud Asus for trying to set things right.

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making of the HTC EVO 4G LTE. Is that a 3D camera I see?

After HTC  performed poorly for much of the last year, the problems extended (at least in the profit department) into Q1 of 2012. Even if the first quarter is generally accepted as a transitional period for most device manufacturers, HTC has a lot riding on the success of its One series.

In this light, HTC has certainly taken to heart its new creed of providing potential consumers with a more personal connection to their devices. Along these lines, HTC has followed-up the successful unveiling of Sprint’s EVO 4G LTE by releasing a “making of” video that sheds light on the thought process behind the design and creation of Sprint’s latest star device.

The video brings up a lot of interesting points about how HTC’s designers and engineers operate and the principles they rely upon when creating such an impressive device, including:

• Having a unique design that would allow people to recognize an HTC product at a glance
• The thought process behind the creation of the special aluminium alloy kickstand and the effort to maintain form without sacrificing on function
• The two-tone design of the frame with a soft-touch back, while using only one aluminium piece
• Using almost a hundred different custom-designed machine cutters to allow for all the hardware that goes into the uni-body frame

EVO 3D successor spotted?

Throughout the video, we see a lot of “discarded” concepts for the design of the phone. But wait, what do we have here? Is that a 3D camera? As AndroidAndMe first noticed, at about the 0:23 mark, the camera rolls over several frames, with the last one surprisingly featuring a dual-camera dual-LED flash system, a la the EVO 3D.

While the video does mention the fact that HTC  ”played around” with various technologies while deciding what best suited this device, the very brief appearance of a 3D camera shell begs the question, “Are we looking at the successor to the popular HTC EVO 3D?” Of course, there is no official indication towards this being true, and what we see is very likely just another concept prototype, but this sudden appearance has definitely got my curiosity flaring.

Back to the EVO 4G LTE, the device looks nothing like the One X, with the differentiating features including a kickstand, availability of a microSD slot (no microSD support on the One X), and a still slightly disappointing, but larger battery than the One X (2000 mAH compared to 1800 mAH).

The EVO 4G LTE will be heading to Sprint and will be the flagship device for its soon-to-be-set-up LTE network. The device will be available for pre-order on May 5, and will ship in June, with a $200 price tag (on a 2 year contract).

What are your thoughts? Did you like/dislike the design of the HTC EVO 4G LTE? Were you left wishing for a more One X-like feel? Is the two second view of a 3D camera-equipped phone an indication of things to come?

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Top 10 Inventions Needed - Future Technology

This was a wish list that was originally intended to provide inspiration for inventors. First written in April of 1997, I thought it might be fun to follow-up each year and find out if anyone has been working on these ideas for future technology. I have included websites for you to "check out" inventions that are, are close to, or kinda close to what I am hoping will soon exist in the technology available to us presently.

1. Future Technology - Free Energy

I want my energy bill to come only once, not every month. So be it solar or electro-magnetic, please make it personal and portable with batteries that keep going and going.

Check out - D.O.E. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

2. Future Technology - Transporter

What kind of technology is required to scramble a person's atoms and send them for regrouping in foreign lands all in the blink of an eye? Imagine, I could work in Tokyo and sleep in Paris. Beam me up. Check out - Quantum Teleportation or Scientists Report 'Teleported' Data

3. Future Technology - Replicator Technology (Stuff for Free)

Every time I saw Captain Picard (Star Trek Next Generation) ordering his Earl Grey Tea or Councilor Troy getting a triple alien fudge dessert from one of those replicators on the Enterprise, it made me jealous. I imagine you could send the dirty dishes back to the void where they came from. BTW, a replicator is a device that uses transporter technology to dematerialize quantities of matter and then rematerialize that matter in another form.

4. Future Technology - Universal Communicator

Forget long distant bills and roaming charges (especially with me working in Tokyo and sleeping in Paris). I want a very small device that lets me talk and see anyone, anywhere and anytime. All for the price of the device and please throw in the ability for universal translation for a modest surcharge.

5. Future Technology - The Cure

For you name it. Check out - Curing Brain Diseases by Growing New Cells?

6. Future Technology - Fountain of Youth

As a woman I consider this as a no-brainer desire for future technology. The "Fountain of Youth" was a legendary spring that renders anyone who drinks of its waters permanently young. What is the real future technology that will extend our lives and keep us looking youthful without surgery? Check out - Scientists discover cellular 'fountain of youth' and Anti-Aging Medicine or Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine.

7. Future Technology - Protective Force Field

To shield me from the sticks and stones. Check out - A Force Field for Astronauts?

8. Future Technology - Flying Cars

I want a smooth ride all the way and I hope it's a convertible.

Check out - How Flying Cars Will Work, Flying Cars Ready To Take Off, Flying car more economical than SUV.

9. Future Technology - The Battery Operated Butler Did It

What can I say - housework sucks. Check out - Robotics and Robots

10. Future Technology - The Time Machine

I have a few famous inventors I would love to meet in person and the idea of messing with the time-space continuum is exciting as well. Check out - Attention Chronic Argonauts and fellow Time Travelers
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BMW Announces i8 Spyder Concept: Teched Out i8 Looses Its Top

BMW’s i8 concept made a splash when it debuted less than a year ago, and the German automaker kept that momentum going  in time for the New York International Auto Show with the announcement of its i8 Spyder concept. The new car, which retains much of the exterior styling of its older sibling, is a topless version of the i8 and features a slightly shorter wheelbase. But all of the technological beauty that made the original i8 such a hit is still intact.

Powering the i8 Spyder is a gas-electric hybrid powertrain consisting of a twin-turbo internal combustion engine and electric motor. A lithium-ion battery, which can be charged via a plug-in charging station rounds out the system. In total, the Bavarians say the i8 Spyder is capable of producing 354 horsepower while managing fuel economy numbers of 3 liters of fuel every 100 kilometers on the European fuel cycle, and can travel up to 30 KM on electric power alone.

Take a look inside and the i8 Spyder is just as beautiful as the original i8. Missing from the new car is the old i8′s rear-seats, making the Spyder a shade shorter than its four-seater brethren. Up front, BMW has included the same 8.8-inch touchscreen display found in the original i8. We weren’t able to see the display running, but BMW says it will feature its ConnectedDrive system. Overall, the car appears to be closure to a production vehicle than the previous i8.

Unfortunately, BMW didn’t have a Spyder on hand for the New York Auto Show, but rumor has it the electronic wonder will make its official debut at the upcoming Bejing International Auto Expo.

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Hands-On With Chevy’s GoGo Cloud-Based Navigation App

Chevrolet is working to make owning an in-car navigation system much more affordable with the introduction of its GoGo Navigation app. The app, which will be available for the Chevy Spark and Sonic RS when they hit dealerships later this year. We got some hands-on time with GoGo and came away impressed with both its speed and overall functionality. The app itself sits on your iPhone or Android smartphone and is accessible via Chevy’s MyLink infotainment system. Purchasing the app is as simple as downingloading it through the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store for $50.

To access the app users will have to connect their Android smartphone or iPhone via USB or Bluetooth  to their vehicle’s MyLink smartphone integration system. Chevy says the system will come standard on the 1LT and 2LT versions of the Spark, as well as the Sonic LTZ and soon to be released Sonic RS. Also included on the models will be a new infotainment interface complete with touchscreen display.

Chevy says its reason for offering the navigation feature as a smartphone app is two fold. The first and primary reason is that it allows customers shopping in the compact car market to get the same kind of functionality out of the app as they would with a built-in system without having to shell out the additional $900 to $1,000. Secondly, because GoGo is a cloud-based app, Chevy can continually push updates to its users with new functionality and improved maps.

One of the most impressive features of the app was its snappiness. Despite running on an iPhone 4′s 3G connection in the Javits Center, a place that eats data connections like a hungry black hole, the app was able to locate our destinations and find the most efficient routes in a matter of seconds. If you’re ever used a built-in navigation system, then you know the horror of having to waiting the map and route are rendered on-screen. Because GoGo is pushed to your infotainment system via MyLink, the app only has to render information on your smartphone. As a result, performance is, besides the occasional hiccup, lag free.

We also found ourselves enthralled with the huge amount of customization options available to GoGo users. While navigating, we were able to change the map view, see traffic information, view information on nearby locations and choose between using the most eco-friendly or fastest route.

If the GoGo app functions as well in a vehicle as it did during our hands-on, Chevy may have a big hit on its hands.

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Android 4.0.4 update causing network issues on Galaxy Nexus

Looks like it is trouble in paradise for Galaxy Nexus owners again. After updating to the much awaited Android 4.0.4 update that started rolling out last week, users are now noting that the phone loses signal once it goes into sleep mode.

This happens usually when there is no application running in the background when the phone goes into sleep. The processor speed drops below a certain point and then the phone loses its network signal, meaning it won't be able to receive calls or messages until you wake the phone. This problem can be solved to some extent by running something resource heavy in the background, or by setting the minimum CPU clock speed from the default 350MHz to 700MHz or by disabling the sleep mode entirely. As you can tell neither of these options will be particularly kind to the phone's battery life.

Users have noted that this issue exists solely in the 4.0.4 build for the GSM Galaxy Nexus and that going back to the 4.0.2 ROM makes it go away.

If you have a GSM Galaxy Nexus running 4.0.4 with or without this issue, let us know in the comments.

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TELUS Canada to Unleash 4G Samsung Galaxy S2 X on October 28

TELUS Canada, one of the leading Canadian telecommunications companies, has finally provided a release date for its bigger-screened variant of the Samsung Galaxy S2–October 28–from which date the handset will start becoming available.

The Canadian carrier’s variant of the Samsung blockbuster Android smartphone will be branded as the 4G Samsung Galaxy S2 X, and although TELUS has not yet revealed its pricing, the handset will most likely bear a US$99 price tag under a three-year contract.

Unlike its other siblings in the U.S., the 4G Samsung Galaxy S2 X will run faster with its  dual-core processor blazing trails at a clock speed of 1.5 GHz and its 1 GB of RAM.

Unfortunately, despite the recent release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), the handset will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread.  However, recent gossip says the 4G Samsung Galaxy S2 X will be getting upgrades to ICS, too.

Formerly codenamed the Samsung Hercules, the device will also sport a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen for vivid and crisper display.

Also packed in the device is an 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front facing camera for video calls, battery power up to 9 hours of continuous talk time, and TELUS’s fast 4G speeds that reach up to 42 Mbps.Who’s up for some TELUS-flavored 4G and Samsung-flavored Galaxy S II X?

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ICS to come soon to Telus’ Samsung Galaxy S2 X

News about the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Galaxy S2 and its many variants is one topic that we’d relentlessly report to our readers. We know how hard it can be to feel left out from the ICS party, particularly if you have an insatiable sweet tooth. You’d think that since the user guide has been published and the ICS source code has been shared, things would move along at a faster speed. But obviously, there’s something that’s holding back the update from reaching your phone.

If you happen to have a Samsung Galaxy S2 X on Telus, you’re in for an ICS surprise. A quick check on the Canadian carrier’s  website reveals that the expected ICS upgrade date for Samsung Galaxy S2 X phone has been changed from a vague “Available in 2012” to a more acceptable “coming soon”.

We don’t know what the new announcement implies, but it’s decidedly better than the former. After all, there are still eight more months left in the calendar year. Taking the glass is half-full approach; there is a good possibility that your phone will receive the ICS update this month.

For our Canadian readers on Bell Mobility who may have missed the announcement, the carrier has released a timeline of when your Android devices will receive Ice Cream Sandwich. Here’s the complete list:

• April 2012: Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy Note
• May 2012: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
• June 2012: Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, HTC Sensation, HTC Raider
• July 2012: LG Optimus LTE

If you have any information that you’d like to share with fellow readers regarding the ICS update on Samsung Galaxy S2 X or other Android phones on Bell, please do so on the comment section below.

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Google and Paramount sign movie rental deal, 500 titles coming to Google Play and YouTube

In its bidding to become competitive against content provider/distributor juggernauts like Apple and Amazon, Google has been taking an aggressive stance to make sure that Google Play, the company’s mobile storefront, has the goods necessary to keep the Android ecosystem attractive. This is true not just in terms of apps availability, but also for books, music, movies, and other entertainment products. The latest deal in this direction is the one that Google recently signed with Paramount Pictures.

The deal between Google and Paramount will bring over 500 movies to Google Play and YouTube in North America, where users will be able to rent popular titles, in a price range of $2.99 to $4.99 for various rental periods. Once paid, the movies must be watched within 30 days, and you’ll have the option to watch them on YouTube and Android devices.

Considering that the parent company of Paramount Pictures, Viacom, has been still is engaged in a long-winded legal battle with Google over copyright infringement, this is a possible sign that the two are close to reaching a resolution. Another theory is that Paramount Pictures simply doesn’t want to miss the boat that other major movie studios have been rushing to get on.

Paramount Pictures is responsible for recent and past box office hits such as the Adventure of Tintin, Transformers, the Godfather trilogy, Hugo, Iron Man, Mission Impossible, and more. By securing the deal with Paramount, this leaves 20th Century Fox as the odd one out. Google Play now offers movies from five major studios (Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Universal, Walt Disney Studios, and Paramount) and 10 independent film studios that offer more than 9,000 titles for rental.

Do you dig renting movies on an a la carte basis? Would you prefer it if Google introduced a monthly subscription fee for an all-you-can-watch movie binge?

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HCL Launches Two New Android 4.0 Tablets in India

HCL just launched two new Android slates in India, the HCL ME U1 device and the HCL MyEdu Tab, both packing Android 4.0 ICS. These models have competitive pricing and the HCL ME U1 comes with a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen display, with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.

The specs also include a 1 GHz processor, 512MB of RAM (DDR3), 4 GB of storage, microSD card slot, mini and regular USB ports and WiFi + 3G connectivity. There’s also a 0.3 megapixel front camera and we know that the HCL ME U1 will be sold in India for about $162. The other slate, HCL MyEdu Tab is created for school children, so it comes with educational content and apps. It has the same hardware as the other HCL model and it’s available in two versions: MyEduTab-K12 and MyEduTab-Higher Education (HE).
The K12 will be sold for $226, while the Higher Education unit will go for around $200 or so, bundled with educational content and online certification pack. Both these models will be available in India from April. HCL won’t have much competition in the education field they entered, aside from maybe the Aakash tablet…
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Google’s Larry Page is an Avid User of Motorola and Samsung Tablets

Google’s CEO and co-founder, Larry Page recently gave an interview to Businessweek, detailing his relationship with Steve Jobs and the Android evolution. He says that of the brands he worked with, Motorola and Samsung have been closes to him, when it comes to tablets.

Right now Mr. Page uses an unnamed Samsung tablet, maybe a mystery new model, but up until that he had been using a Motorola XOOM device, for the past year. He was also quoted saying that the experiences offered by Android tablets are great and that they’re only in the early stages of the evolution. A while ago, it was rumored that Android 5.0 Jelly Bean will bring back the focus on tablets, which will be interesting to see, given that Honeycomb didn’t get anyone truly excited about it.

About Steve Jobs, Larry said that although they had their differences about Android, it was never truly the hate that Jobs conveyed to the press. Apparently, the whole thermonuclear war thing wasn’t actually meant from the heart and the Apple guru did that to motivate his minions. Larry Page said that “the Android differences were for show” and that he had a good relationship with Steve, seeing him periodically.

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PuPu joins Gilgamesh as Final Fantasy XIII-2 DLC

Do you remember PuPu, the little alien from FINAL FANTASY VIII?

It looks like he’ll be arriving alongside Giglamesh’s coliseum battle next week. More details have arrived from this week’s Famitsu, including the addition of this rumored character. PuPu will be priced at 200 yen/240MSP and will provide you with the Healer role once captured. During battle his UFO will float above the field; defeat it or else he will keep re-spawning. PuPu has a 10% rate of crystallization.

As for Gilgamesh, he’ll join your party as an Attacker. Costing a bit more at 400 yen/320MSP, he has a 25.15% of being yours.

Noel’s Assassin’s outfit will be available for 300 yen/240MSP and Serah’s “Exposure and Defense” outfit will be available absolutely free. Look out for this content on April 10th in Japan and most likely worldwide. Stay tuned for the official announcement.

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How can Android tablets dominate the tablet market?

Whether we like it or not, Apple’s iPad has been the star of the tablet market and has overshadowed Android tablets in pretty much every aspect and area. But is this to remain? Let’s take a closer look.

While we are still in the early stages of 2012, all signs are pointing to Apple’s latest product becoming the new star of the market again. After all, sales figures don’t lie, right?

However, while no apparent leader has risen from the pack of Android tablets, there are many encouraging signs. First of all, competition is a good thing. While no one tablet alone has the means to dethrone the iPad’s impressive sales figures, collectively, they certainly do. We’ve already projected that Android tablets will overtake the iPad by the end of 2012, and we’ve got lots to back it up.  We here at Android Authority feel that the long-term battle is far from being finished and decided in any way.

And inspired by a discussion on The Verge that started more than a week ago, we feel that it’s time to start a similar discussion too, to see what you think. How can Android and the device manufacturers overthrow Apple’s dictatorship in the tablet arena?

Android has to beat Apple fair and square

We have been reporting and reading about the ferocious patent war between Android manufacturers and Apple for a significant amount of time now. In our opinion, and in the opinion of many others, the ongoing patent suits stifle innovation, and slow the progress of technological advancement as well.  Of course, there are strong arguments that counter that too.
The only thing that the public takes from from this seemingly endless quarrel is that instead of innovating and working to provide more compelling features and better technology, mammoth companies are trying to cut corners and to win battles in court rather than on the true battlefield, the consumer market.

What does fair and square mean?

Everyone knows Apple is the one to beat. But how do you beat a company that is arguably one of the most – if not the most – respected name in consumer technology? It’s certainly no easy task. For those that are lovers of customization, and for those that want to use their tablets for more than passive media consumption, Android is looking like a more attractive choice day by day.

“I think that if ever there is a brand cult, Apple deserves it, they come close to religious fanaticism on the part of enthusiastic followers.”  - Russell Belk, a marketing professor at York University in Ontario, Canada.

For anyone that has used an iPad for a decent amount of time, they know that it is a device that is, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than an enlarged iPod Touch. Apple chose to opt for a user interface that is really nothing more than a glorified app launcher, on par with the feature-phones of yesteryear. And forget about being able to enable users to create their own useful backgrounds, with helpful, fun and informative widgets, or anything of the like. While I’m not going to dive any further into this aspect of the debate, it still merits mentioning, as it is often the primary reason people come to Android.

So, bringing it back to how Android can dominate the tablet market, here’s a few ideas below.

Make the web browsing experience absolutely incredible

• fluidity, already good but needs improvement
• make it identical (or better) to the experience we already have in the latest revisions of Chrome or Firefox on our computers
• Better support for Google Docs

Google must hold contests for developers to incentivize the creation of amazing apps 

• Entice developers to hold exclusives of their apps on Android for a period of time, through contests and deals
• Google has to put its money where its mouth is, and have $100,000+ contests for apps, and often at that.
• work with SAP and others in the CRM space, to make it easier for businesses to use Android tablets for their own purposes. After all, Android is supposed to be open, right?

Continue creating innovative designs that target all aspects of the consumer market

While the Kindle Fire takes the crown as the best selling Android tablet out there, there’s still huge potential for other Android tablets to stake their own claim in the market. With hybrid devices like the ASUS Transformer, and their upgraded Prime model selling quite well, it’s clear that consumers love keyboard docks that enhance productivity and extend battery life. Further to that, there’s innovative designs like ASUS’ Padfone coming to market soon too, with others soon to follow. What other innovative ideas can you think up?

Additionally, what companies can also do is just be better than Apple. Is this impossible? Certainly not. To do this, manufacturers must push the envelope, think outside the box, come up with original designs, sleeker products, longer lasting batteries, snappier processors and devices at more affordable price points. The may end up spending a lot on research and development, but, in the long haul, they can do right by consumers and create huge loyal followings of their own.

In the discussion on the Verge, readers insisted in their discussion that exclusive games could make Android tablets more popular than iPads. While that’s an excellent point and a great idea, that should only be one part of a much more wider and larger strategy, involving, better designs, stronger batteries, snappier processors, as well as nicer games.

Of course, the elephant in the room is Google. They must do better at providing leadership and support for the numerous hordes of manufacturers now creating devices with their operating system on board. They must entice developers to produce epic apps for the platform. Apple has a serious advantage in this area, as a significant majority of their customers’ credit cards are on file, with their user base already have demonstrated a desire to pay for apps. Plus, app developers have reported higher revenues in many cases. These are things that can all be overcome, but only if Google demonstrates some leadership.

Finally, what Google must do, and must do quickly, is solve the Android fragmentation problem. It’s unacceptable that only a couple of tablets running the latest software version, Ice Cream Sandwich, more than four months after its official release.

My friends, I know many of you have strong feelings on what has been written above. We have been accused of being somewhat too biased in the past, and this is perhaps true. All we aim to do is encourage all parties involved to do better. At the end of the day, we all benefit from thriving app ecosystems, profitable manufacturers, and intense competition. This is what drives innovation. This is what helps make technology better, and more affordable and more accessible. Android has a lot to overcome if Apple is to be ever disturbed from its leading position in the tablet market.

Now, I invite you to leave your thoughts below. What must Android, Google, and the manufacturers do?

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Asus Padfone to start shipping in Taiwan on April 20 for $980, no words on US availability yet

Some called it innovative, some revolutionary, and many just couldn’t believe their eyes. The Asus Padfone took us all by surprise back at the MWC in February, but much of the hype surrounding the smartphone/tablet/netbook hybrid was quickly cooled down by rumors about its pricing.

An online UK store had the Padfone available for preorder starting a few weeks back and it was pretty obvious that most of us will never be able to afford the gadget. However, until today, we didn’t have any official word on the device’s pricing, so some of us still hoped for the best. Well, today we finally have some official details about the Padfone’s pricing and availability and, unfortunately, while I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I am unable to deliver anything other than that.

The Asus Padfone will be hitting Taiwan on April 20, with pre-orders starting as soon as tomorrow, and, as far as I can tell, only few technology geeks will afford to get their hands on the hybrid. The smartphone alone (a beautiful 4.3-incher with a qHD Super AMOLED display and a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor under the hood) will cost the good people from Taiwan a hefty NT$ 17,999 (around US $610).

If you want added functionality and the freedom to adapt your gadget to your needs (and I know you do), you’ll have to either pay NT$ 24,980 (US $850, give or take), for the smartphone, tablet-style dock, bluetooth earpiece and stylus, or no less than NT$ 28,901 (US $980, that is), for the all-inclusive package, that comes with a Transformer-style keyboard dock.

Asus, y u no sell Padfone cheaper?

While the $1,100 price tag hinted about a month ago proved to be just a tad inaccurate, you’ll still have to pay big bucks for what many consider one of the greatest innovations of the past couple of years.

And, despite the fact that playing the currency conversion game can be misleading, as we know that gadgets are priced differently depending on each market’s profile, it’s pretty obvious that the Padfone will not be affordable (or at least reasonably priced) in any part of the world, anytime soon.
When and if the hybrid will hit the US, it will probably not go for as much as $980. However, it’s impossible to hope for the Padfone to be priced at anything less than, say, $850, or, best-case scenario, $800. Is anyone willing to pay that much in the United States for the Padfone? I would certainly not, but I wouldn’t mind being contradicted, so if any of you thinks about picking this up in the US, I would love to hear your reasoning behind the decision.
On the other hand, it has to be said that the Asus Padfone has not been officially confirmed to come to the US, with only Taiwan, Germany, Hong Kong, and Singapore on the release list for the time being. No launch dates are available for any other market than the Taiwanese one, so stay tuned on our website to find out more about the Padfone!

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Asus Padfone goes on pre-order in Taiwan, will launch April 20

One of the most curious devices of this season is getting ready to hit the shelves. Just as promised, Asus will be delivering its Padfone droid phone/tablet/netbook later this month with pre-orders in Taiwan set to start tomorrow.

Taiwanese customers will be able to book themselves a shiny new Asus Padfone for NTD 17,990 ($610). The tablet shell costs an extra NTD6,990 ($240), while the tablet dock will set you back a further NTD3919 ($130).

And while the total price of $980 seems pretty steep it's much cheaper than you'd normally have to pay for an S4-powered phone, tablet and keyboard dock. Plus Asus is willing to throw in an extra battery for the smartphone and that cool Bluetooth headset to sweeten the deal even further.

We are not sure if the European pricing of the Asus Padfone will be the same as the one in Asia, but we should find out soon enough.

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How To Register in Search Engines

As we know that the main reasons to write in the blog is that they hope their writing could be read by others or blog visitors. More people or visitors will make us happy and proud, especially when they give some comments on our writing. For making the people come to our blog and then read our postings are not easy. We need high publication in order to increase the traffic.

We can use many ways to make our blogs famous and get many traffics, such as blog walking or visiting others blogs. Registering to various aggregator, and the most effective ways is through the search engine.

For new bloggers, they have a wrong assumption. They might think that after making blogs, their blogs will be detected by search engine or listed in all sorts of search engine automatically. The fact is not like that. Like a school, we absolutely have to register in that school so that our name is listed in a student list. Just as a search engine, to make our blog detected by search engine, we have to submit our blogs to some search engines.

There are many search engines here and recently, the most famous ones are Google, yahoo, and Msn. If we want our blog detected by them, we have to submit our URL blog to them.

Now, have you submitted your blogs to the search engines above? Or you still don’t know how to submit your blogs. Just follow the tutorials below.

Sign up in Google

To register in Google, please visit http://www.google.com/addurl/, and if you are in registering page, you must fill in available form;

• URL --> Fill in your URL blog
• Comments --> Fill in the related keywords to your blogs.
• Fill in the blank square with the verification code available.
• Click Add URL.
• Finished

As soon as your submission to Google, it doesn’t mean that your blog would have an index in Google search engine. It will need about 3 until 4 weeks for new blog to be able to have an index. After 3 or 4 weeks, try to type your URL blog in Google search engine. If your blog still can not be detected, you will have to wait for a couple of week again. If it is not detected yet, you must submit your blog again as the steps above.

Or, you might not be patient and want your blog detected soon by Google search engine. Actually, it could happen only in 3 or 4 days. Would you like to know how? Just read my upcoming post in 1 or 2 days…ok.

Register in yahoo

In order to register in yahoo, please visit this site https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit. Before registering here, make sure that you have yahoo account. Why you need yahoo account? Because to register here, you need to log in to your yahoo account. If you still don’t have any yahoo e-mail, click here to make one first. And if you have e yahoo account, you just need to log in with your username and password. As soon as you log in, you will see a column. Just fill in the column with your URL blog, then click Add URL and done.

If you want to add your feed address too, you can do it here. Remember, you only need to add atom.xml behind your URL blog in order to get feed address of your blog, example; this blog blog has feed address as follow; http://kolom-tutorial.blogspot.com/atom.xml.

Register in Msn

Please visit http://search.msn.com/docs/submit.aspx?FORM=WSDD2 to register in Msn. Just fill in the verification code and your URL blog in the available square, then click submit and finished.

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New Samsung Galaxy S3 render pops up. Is May 22 the official release date?

After I recently wrote about how easy it is to create a render for the Samsung Galaxy S3, it’s now time for me to write about exactly that, as a new supposed depiction of Samsung’s upcoming superphone has surfaced in Korea. I was set to approach this latest “rumor” about the Galaxy S3 with caution, but I actually believe that we might be looking at the real thing. Here’s why.

The timing of this “leak”, which has popped up on a few Korean websites, couldn’t be better. With the recent announcement of the HTC EVO 4G LTE and the HTC One X already shipping to select countries in Europe and India, Samsung really needs to step up its game and announce the Galaxy S3. While a lot of people are eagerly waiting for this device, they might eventually get fed up with the wait and go ahead with an (supposedly) equally good, if not better, device. I, for one, am certainly vexed about the endless speculations about the device and I will be more than a little upset if the device isn’t announced soon.

Other fake renders that we’ve seen in the past have mostly been design changes made on top of the Galaxy S2 or other existing devices, and as such, it has been possible to weed out the fakes easily. I’m no Photoshop expert and I know that the above render can be made up with some time and effort, but I feel like this could be authentic. The phone design is futuristic and impressive, and in line with what we expect Samsung to do with its next flagship device.

The May 22 date and the London location are certainly in line with the strong possibility that Samsung will announce its hero device ahead of the Olympic Games, of which it is a main sponsor.

In a recent tweet, Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin, one of the few persons believed to have held the actual device, left us with a “No comment” which is generally corporate speak for “It’s true, but you’re not supposed to know about it yet.” While this is just further speculation on my part, could this tweet be an indication that we finally have a real image of the S3?

My above reasoning can easily be turned upside down and used to show that this latest render is fake. As we’ve seen, it’s not that hard for an expert to put something like this together. The image of the phone is also similar to a lot of concept phone designs I’ve seen around the web. Along those lines, anyone could arrive at the potential date and location for the “actual” announcement of the device, especially since that date has been rumored before.

With no official confirmation from Samsung about the S3, we can only process this newest information with the mandatory grain of salt. All we, the millions of Android fans impatiently waiting for this device, can do is send out a humble request (which will eventually turn into an angry demand, I’m sure) to Samsung: Please, do not drag this out any longer!

What do you think? Do we finally have some real information? Or is it just another fake?

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Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G LTE is unveiled, pre-order starts on May 7

Right on cue, Sprint has officially announced the carrier’s first 4G LTE super smartphone for this year, aptly named the HTC EVO 4G LTE, which is probably an homage to the HTC EVO 4G, but still kind of confusing.

The impressive specs of the HTC EVO 4G LTE are worth mentioning for the umpteenth time, with Sprint CEO Dan Hesse saying that they set a new “gold standard” for other phones in the network. The EVO 4G LTE’s 4.7-inch HD display is the perfect medium to show off pictures taken with the phone’s 8MP rear camera, fitted with a f/2.0 lens and ImageSense technology. You can snap pictures within a fraction of a second. The camera also allows you to capture still images while recording HD video.

The HTC EVO 4G LTE uses one the fastest processors around, yet power efficient – the 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. The phone’s 2000 mAh battery capacity doesn’t exactly meet earlier expectations, but at least it’s bigger than the AT&T counterpart.

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International giveaway of the ARCHOS G9 101 Turbo!

Hey guys!

You know we seriously love each and every one of you, right? At Android Authority, we’re a little crazy about two things: providing epic content and coverage of all things Android, day by day, and offering you giveaways and awesome free stuff, as often as we can.

So, without further ado, I’d like to invite all of you to participate in our latest international giveaway! This time, we’ve got the latest and greatest Ice Cream Sandwich tablet from ARCHOS – an awesome manufacturer that produces some very high quality wares – in the form of the ARCHOS G9 Turbo 101. We’re fans of ARCHOS because of their speedy update times for their existing hardware, and because they don’t charge you an arm and a leg to get a piece of Androidtastic action in tablet form. Further to that, this tablet is packing a $250GB hard drive, which makes it a serious storage powerhouse.

Here’s the specs: 

• 1280 x 800 10.1″ display
• TI OMAP 4 dual-core processor at 1.5GHz
• 250GB HDD (plus a microSD slot) with dedicated 2GB flash caching system.
• 1GB RAM
• 720p front-facing camera
• 1080p video playback
• MicroUSB and Mini HDMI ports
• Running Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box

So, for basically no effort at all, you can enter to win this contest, by doing two very simple things.

How to enter

1. Like ARCHOS’ Facebook Page (do it in the widget below)
2. Plus our Google Plus Page (also, do it in the widget below)
3. Leave a comment below on what you think of Android Authority, and what kind of content you want to see, and what kind of giveaways you’d like for us to have!

BAM! How easy was that? Follow this handy little widget here, and you’ll automatically be entered to win this awesome ARCHOS tablet! Also, for the official product page, check it out here. The tablet goes regularly for $389.99, which is quite good for all the tech packed inside.
Let us know what you think of Android Authority and ARCHOS below, and good luck to all of you! Also, a HUGE thanks to ARCHOS for partnering up with us for this giveaway!

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