Eric Abent

Author: Eric Abent

T-Mobile testing new pre-paid brand called GoSmart

By Eric Abent
on 7 Dec, 2012

It's been a big couple of days for T-Mobile. Yesterday, the carrier announced that it will stop offering subsidies on new devices next year - something that could end up having a ripple effect throughout the industry if it succeeds - and now it has confirmed to Fierce Wireless that it has a new pre-paid brand called GoSmart Mobile in the testing stages. Provided this test works out well, T-Mobile may look to take GoSmart nationwide in 2013.

Samsung reportedly announcing Galaxy Grand DUOS in January

By Eric Abent
on 7 Dec, 2012

Given that we're expecting the announcement of the Galaxy S IV relatively soon, all eyes will be on Samsung in the first half of 2013. According to a new rumor from the folks at SamMobile, however, it appears that Samsung is gearing up to announce a brand new handset as early as next month. This has a model number of GT-I9082 and, according to SamMobile's source, goes by the name of the Galaxy Grand DUOS.

Ice Cream Sandwich hitting LG Optimus 2X in Europe

By Eric Abent
on 7 Dec, 2012

It's been a long, long time coming, but it appears that some folks outside of Korea are finally getting the long awaited update to Ice Cream Sandwich on their LG Optimus 2X. We've been talking about this update for more than a year now, with LG even leading us to believe at one point that the Optimus 2X would not be getting an update to Ice Cream Sandwich. In a rather strange (and very delayed) turn of events, GSMArena has spotted a thread on the XDA Developers forum that says the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Optimus 2X is now ready for Europe.

Official Nexus 4 bumpers sold out on Google Play

By Eric Abent
on 7 Dec, 2012

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past month or so, you probably already know that Google has been having some issues keeping the Nexus 4 in stock. The phone, which ships with some solid specs and can be purchased unlocked for an excellent price, has proven to be pretty popular with the Android faithful, which means that many are facing long shipping times or sold out alerts. It turns out that isn't the only thing Google is having stock issues with, as the official Nexus 4 bumper is now listed as sold out on the Google Play Store.

Motorola further details Jelly Bean plans, Atrix HD next on list

By Eric Abent
on 7 Dec, 2012

Ever since Motorola announced that it plans to update a lot of its more recent devices to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, many customers have been waiting for patiently for their upgrade to arrive. Some handsets, such as the DROID RAZR M, the DROID RAZR HD, and the DROID RAZR MAXX HD have already received or are in the process of receiving their updates, but there are plenty more handsets left to upgrade. Motorola has updated its list of devices getting Jelly Bean upgrades, covering most major regions of the world like the US, Canada, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America.

Android Community Nightly: December 6th, 2012

By Eric Abent
on 6 Dec, 2012

We Android fans had a pretty big day today, with some very noteworthy news stories hitting throughout. Apple and Samsung have gone back before Judge Lucy Koh to continue discussions about the trial that ended with a $1 billion fine for Samsung. Meanwhile, we saw a heavily redacted settlement statement from the Apple and HTC patent trial. Today was also a big day for Google, as it and Nik Software launched the Android version of Snapseed on the Google Play Store - an app that we reviewed later on in the day.

T-Mobile adds three new markets to network refarm

By Eric Abent
on 6 Dec, 2012

It's been a pretty big day for T-Mobile, but the news just keeps on coming. On top of the day's other news, T-Mobile has announced that it has added three new markets to its network modernization efforts. According to the company, customers in Seattle, Minneapolis and Atlanta should be experiencing faster data speeds on unlocked devices.

Snapseed for Android Review

By Eric Abent
on 6 Dec, 2012

Editing photos on the go can not only be a headache, but it can also be expensive. There is no lack of photo editing apps on the Google Play Store, but some of them require an upfront payment while others aren't exactly easy to use. Arriving today on the Google Play Store is Snapseed, which not only lets you edit and apply filters to your photos, but it also lets you do it all for free.

Amazon launches A/B testing for developers, talks Appstore growth

By Eric Abent
on 6 Dec, 2012

When it comes to Android apps, there aren't many companies that give the Google Play Store a run for it's money, but Amazon sure is trying. The Amazon Appstore comes pre-installed on a lot of the phones we review here at Android Community, and it's the only app store Amazon allows on its line of Kindle Fire devices, despite the fact that they're all based on Android. Today, Amazon announced that Appstore downloads have grown by 500% in the past year, which is an absurdly huge number.

WordTag game now available on Google Play Store

By Eric Abent
on 6 Dec, 2012

Looking for a new game to play on your Android device? If you love words, you might want to consider WordTag, a new game from developer Juxta Labs. WordTag is quite similar to games like Taboo, except Juxta Labs has put its own unique spin on the word guessing party game.