Michael Crider

Author: Michael Crider

Confirmed: Galaxy S III hits Canada June 20th

By Michael Crider
on 30 May, 2012

Alright, Canucks, you tend to get most things a little behind us in the States, but now the wellie is on the other foot. The June 20th release date for the Galaxy S III has been confirmed by smaller French-Canadian carrier Videotron, stating flat-out that Samsung's flagship is coming to their network on said date. Pricing and availability weren't detailed, but the standard sign-up form has been posted. Also note that this is the white version - the Pebble Blue shortage will likely follow into the Americas.

ASUS MeMO 370T spotted in the FCC – possible Nexus 7

By Michael Crider
on 30 May, 2012

Those of you who are waiting for the much-rumored Nexus Tablet with bated breath should probably start saving your pennies right now. In addition to a benchmark discovered last night wherein the "Google ASUS Nexus 7" was detailed for the very first time, the ASUS MeMO 370T is now making its way through the US Federal Communications Commission. The low-cost quad-core tablet hasn't been seen since CES more than five months ago.

New evidence for the Galaxy S III on AT&T and US Cellular

By Michael Crider
on 29 May, 2012

At this point, the mystery of "will it or won't it" in reference to the Big Four US carriers is over: if you're on a nationwide cellular company you'll get the option to buy the Galaxy S III eventually. Today's leak shows Samsung's flagship heading through the hallowed halls of the FCC with AT&T bands, just as it did for T-Mobile. But wait a tick: there's good news even if you're not on one of the cellular behemoths, as the GSIII was spotted in an internal US Cellular system too.

“Google ASUS Nexus 7″ tablet shown in benchmark running Android 4.1

By Michael Crider
on 29 May, 2012

Well what do we have here? Rightware's Power Board has posted a benchmark result for a previously unknown device going by the name "Google Asus Nexus 7". Based on the specifications outed - an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and a 720p resolution - this looks like it very well could be the much-rumored and long-awaited Nexus Tablet. The benchmark was run only once, but the brand in particular - simply listed as "Google" - is very promising.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE gets a minor update

By Michael Crider
on 29 May, 2012

It never rains, but it pours. In addition to the long, long awaited Android 4.0.4 update for the Galaxy Nexus, Verizon is sending out a software update for the pretty and pricey Galaxy Tab 7.7. No, it's not Ice Cream Sandwich (though that should be coming eventually) but you'll want to go ahead and install it if you want to stay on the official release path.

Five custom skin and ROM features that stock Android needs

By Michael Crider
on 29 May, 2012

We love the Open Source Android Project. It's where the Android community starts, where ROM developers go for "blessed" code, and without it, Android would still be puttering along behind lesser platforms. But the really great thing about Android is that it's adaptable - and anyone can adapt is. Many custom ROM developers out there (and, to be fair, manufacturers as well) have made natural and obvious additions to Android that are so useful, Google should go ahead and add them right into the main development tree. Here are five of my favorites:

Samsung Music Hub takes on Spotify and Google Music

By Michael Crider
on 29 May, 2012

There's a lot of choices for cloud music out there, and as promised, Samsung is throwing its hat into the ring. But only if you've got a Galaxy S III, and only in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the UK. Try to contain your excitement, folks. Samsung will expand the Music Hub service to more devices and more countries soon.

Lenovo patent shows clip-on tablet keyboard

By Michael Crider
on 29 May, 2012

Even the most enthusiastic touchscreen typist couldn't argue that it beats a physical keyboard, especially for devices like tablets where one hand is often needed just to hold it up. A Lenovo patent spotted by PatentBolt points to a non-standard solution: just slap a physical keyboard on there. Or perhaps "clip" is a more accurate term, since the device in Lenovo's patent filings actually has two separate pieces for separate hands.

HTC Sensation XL Ice Cream Sandwich update is live

By Michael Crider
on 29 May, 2012

Listen up, UK residents: if you're sporting HTC's beats-enabled plus-sized smartphone, you'll want to check your setting menu for a long-overdue Android 4.0 update. Reports are surfacing that the HTC Sensation XL is seeing its Ice Cream Sandwich rollout begin, at least for those on Vodafone. Other scattered reports say that international models are being updated as well, and they're getting it over the air.