A look at the first Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 benchmark scores

When it comes to new phones, we’re all a little curious as to how they’ll perform when compared to devices currently on the market. Since Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon S4 (MSM8960) CPU with Adreno 225 GPU will be all the rage at Mobile World Congress next month, you can probably imagine our ecstasy to see the first benchmark scores for the new chip hit the web.

Over the weekend, a mysterious device running Android 4.0.3 with a 1024×600 resolution display (a typical resolution for 7-inch Android tablets) hit NenaMark’s website, posting a score of 54.9 for NenaMark2. A score of 54.9 may not sound much higher than the 46.2 the Samsung Galaxy S II received running on a Cortex-A9 paired with the Mali-400MP GPU, but it does translate into an 18.8% performance increase. Add in that the mysterious device is pushing 60% more pixels than GSII, and you have yourself a pretty impressive feat.

Benchmark scores don’t always paint a full picture of how a device will perform in the real world, but they do give us an idea of how a device will be able to handle 3D gaming and multitasking. While we only have one benchmark to go on, it looks like the Snapdragon S4 chip will live up to the high expectations that Qualcomm has set before us.

How many of you are looking forward to purchasing a new phone powered by a Snapdragon S4 chip in the near future?

View the original article here

Read more »

Pick your teams in the first annual Android Bowl to win a Transformer Prime

With Super Bowl XLVI less than a week away, we thought we’d spark up our own little competition: The Android Bowl. This week, leading up to Sunday, we’re asking you to update your And Me Account with your current carrier and manufacturer allegiances. Joining a team is easy, just visit the Edit page and use the carrier and manufacturer dropdowns.

We’ve paired with @NVIDIAtegra to give you three chances to win a Transformer Prime. Along with the quad-core tablet, we’re tossing in the keyboard dock for some serious couch commando-ing.

At the end of the week, we’re going to tally all the user choices and post a breakdown of the current Android ballgame. We’ll name a top carrier and a top manufacturer based on your votes and user scores, and, probably most importantly, we’ll announce three winners who score a free Prime and dock from @NVIDIAtegra.

To participate in the Android Bowl is very simple. First, if you don’t already have one, you’ll need to register for an And Me Account. It’s free and takes about 15 seconds. Once you’ve logged in, hit the Edit Account page and select a carrier and manufacturer. For now, we’re only allowing one choice for each field. We know the hardcore among us may have multiple carriers or allegiances to lots of manufacturers, but for now we just want your primary choices.

Also, just like in real life, once you chose a carrier, you’ll be locked into that choice for a certain period of time. To keep things level, we’ve done the same for manufacturers. Eventually on the site we hope to use these settings to filter you guys into groups, so we don’t want everyone switching them around all willy nilly. Once you make a choice, you’ll have a grace period of a few minutes to revert, otherwise that choice will be locked in for about a month. Choose wisely!

In the screenshot above you’ll notice a pair of timers, which display how long you need to wait before you’ll be allowed to update your choices. If you play games, these regen timers might look familiar to you. Once it counts all the way down (displayed in proprietary And Me units of time, of course), you’ll again be able to change your choices.

To enter to win today, you’ll need to have at least your carrier set on your And Me Account. Once you’ve set your carrier, come back and leave a comment on this post to be entered to win. If you haven’t set a carrier yet, you won’t be allowed to comment on this post.

After you’ve set your choices, come back here and leave comment backing your team. Or head on Twitter and mouth off a bit. Half the fun of sports lay in a good rivalry, something Android has no shortage of. If tweeting’s your bag, we’ve included a preloaded Tweetbox below for your convenience.

Of course, come back after the Super Bowl and we’ll have the results of the first annual Android Bowl waiting for you. Break!

View the original article here

Read more »

Google opens registration page for first 4G LTE phone on Sprint

If you are in the market for a new Sprint smartphone, then you might want to head over to Google’s site and register to receive more information about their Galaxy Nexus, the first 4G LTE phone on the Now Network. No release date has been provided, but Sprint’s 4G LTE network is expected to be up and running in select market by the first half of this year.

After you register with Google, be sure to head over to Sprint’s site and sign up too if you want to be notified when more information is available.

Sprint previously announced that Dallas, Atlanta, Houston and San Antonio are expected to be among the first markets to benefit from 4G LTE and improved 3G coverage.

“Within the first half of 2012, Sprint customers should experience first-hand the wide-reaching improvements we have made in terms of boosting voice and data quality,” said Bob Azzi, senior vice president – Network, Sprint. “With advanced smartphones and sophisticated wireless modems, our customers are using more and more mobile data, and one of our top priorities is to provide the best technology possible to improve our customers’ experience.”

Previously leaked ads suggest that the Sprint version of the Galaxy Nexus could ship with slightly altered specifications. An online ad listed the Sprint Galaxy Nexus as featuring a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor (instead of 1.2 GHz), but keep in mind that could have been a mistake. Sprint also had the Galaxy Nexus on display at CES but didn’t show the back of the device, so it could have an upgraded camera or larger battery.

We also know the Sprint Galaxy Nexus will include 32 GB of internal storage and feature support for Google Wallet, something Verizon’s version lacked.

I’ve been using the Verizon Galaxy Nexus since it launched in December and it’s easily the best Android phone I have ever owned. I love the coverage and speeds of Verizon’s 4G LTE network, but I do have to keep an eye on my data consumption since my plan only has 4 GBs. I found battery life was acceptable with the included 1850 mAh battery, but I opted for the 2200 mAh extended battery since it didn’t add any bulk to the phone (and Verizon had it on sale for $25 with free shipping).

Hopefully Sprint will continue to offer their truly unlimited plans, so their Galaxy Nexus customers can enjoy their smartphones without having to monitor data usage.

View the original article here

Read more »

LG Spectrum first impressions, goes on sale today for $199 at Verizon

The LG Spectrum is the latest LTE device to be released amidst a sea of LTE devices on Verizon Wireless. The Spectrum is the follow-up to last year’s LG Revolution and is aimed at the mid-range market (that hole that exists between the Galaxy Nexus/Droid RAZR and the Pantech Breakout/Samsung Illusion). I’ve had my hands on the LG Spectrum for a little over 24 hours now. What follows are my initial impressions of the device after a day’s worth of use.

The Spectrum is a highly spec’d device, with a 4.5-inch True HD (720p) IPS display, 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S3 and an 8 megapixel HD camera capable of taking 1080p video. LG’s Spectrum runs Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread with LG’s custom UI overlay. By now, you probably know how I feel about the UI skins manufacturers and carriers are putting on devices, so I won’t bore you with another rant about why we need more stock Android devices.

In my opinion, LG’s skin has taken MOTOBLUR’s spot at the bottom of my list, specifically when it comes to the app drawer. LG’s app drawer separates apps into unhelpful categories and by default has a whopping 8 categories you’ll have to expand and shrink to get to whatever app you want to choose (though you can remove 6). I prefer the standard app drawer, and the better solution to LG’s skin is to simply install a launcher replacement application from the market (GoLauncher, ADW, and LauncherPro are my faves).

When it comes to how most people use their devices, the display quality and screen resolution are key points of focus. Though the display on the LG Spectrum is certainly not bad by any stretch, the color output appears dull in comparison to the Galaxy S II (with Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology). Since the LG spectrum features a 720p display, it has a standard resolution of 1280×720 which, though awesome for displaying multimedia (videos) on the device, often has me squinting to do some of the more basic functions like reading/responding to email.

The Spectrum feels incredibly solid in the hands, and though the plastic backing renders the phone a bit slippery, I’m really liking the overall form factor of the device. The black with chrome accents motif has always been a favorite of mine, and the LG Spectrum wears this finish quite well.

Overall, the LG Spectrum is a good choice for those who don’t want to spend the $300 Verizon asks for its top-of-the-line LTE devices. As with all large purchasing decisions, we highly encourage you to go to a Verizon store and check the Spectrum out for yourselves before making the purchase decision. We will have a full review in the coming weeks.

The LG Spectrum goes on sale today, January 19, at Verizon Wireless stores for $199.99. Anyone out there planning to pick up the Spectrum?

View the original article here

Read more »

Verizon 4G LTE devices to gain GSM roaming; LG Spectrum, Motorola Droid 4 are first

4G LTE devices on Verizon’s network have not been able to have global GSM roaming capabilities. This is something we’ve been wondering about for a while. 4G LTE uses a SIM card. Couldn’t we also use that SIM card for GSM roaming? Verizon says this is possible and will be happening.

The first 4G LTE phones to become “global devices” are the LG Spectrum and the Motorola Droid 4. According to Verizon, these phones will be getting this feature later this year, likely during the first half.

The LTE phones work globally in over 40 countries that currently use CDMA technology…. For the new LTE phones to provide global roaming voice and data in non-CDMA countries, we are working on a few network enhancements so we can provide customers with the best voice and data roaming experience. We anticipate this capability to be available this year, likely the first half of the year.RepresentativeVerizon Wireless

Many of you depend on GSM roaming. If you travel often, you will find that CDMA technology is not very friendly in most other countries. And now that Verizon has announced that it will only be releasing 4G LTE smartphones, it’s definitely the time to take action and make some 4G LTE global ready devices.

What do you guys say? Have you been waiting for 4G LTE devices to become global ready? You might want to consider one of these two.

View the original article here

Read more »