Android Community Weekly : July 2, 2011

Welcome to this early July issue of Android Community Weekly! Early on this Monday @CyanogenMod informed the masses of his CyanogenMod 7.1 RC1 release; for specifics, navigate here. Later on, we discovered the next “Nexus” phone to run Ice Cream Sandwich may include a Super AMOLED Screen. Could this next phone in the Nexus lineup also be made by Samsung? Only time will tell.

Perhaps the most interesting news to hit this week was the launch of Google+. This private beta has proved to be very polished and may be a viable threat to Facebook when publicly released. Some official videos concerning different aspects of how the Google+ social landscape will play out were revealed Tuesday. Accordingly, the Google+ application was later released that day in the Android Market. After the Android Community team tested the application out, Chris Burns released an official Android Community hands-on and review of Google+. Though Google+ currently operates as a private beta, there is a working Google+ invitation work-around to help you all join in. Also, don’t forget to check out the Google+ widget included after you download the app.

Developers have succeeded in allowing HSPA+ data speeds on the Galaxy S II for AT&T’s network. As if the Galaxy S II wasn’t powerful enough, we’ve gotten word of an even speedier version to be released simultaneously as Apple releases the iPhone 5. It is said to be named the Samsung Galaxy S II PLUS and run a 1.4GHz dual core processor. And we all thought the Galaxy S II was future-proof enough…

Expect a Droid Charge Gingerbread update soon, as it may have been spotted in a YouTube clip. Also leaked was a Droid Charge compatible version of Netflix; it doesn’t get better than streaming off of Verizon’s fast LTE network. Over on Twitter, HTC is staying true to their word by working hard to allow users to unlock their bootloaders. Fortunately, TeamWin let the public know about an exploit in the newly released HTC EVO 3D’s kernel that would allow root access. Surely enough, they successfully rooted the EVO 3D.

If you’ve been looking for a bluetooth device to pair with your smartphone, Chris Burns recently reviewed the SuperTooth HD. He was very pleased with the functionality as well as overall build quality. Chris Burns also had a close look at the Samsung Dart. Both a hands-on and comparison were conducted; should Samsung have escalated the quality of this device?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 has recently hit the FCC accompanied with either AT&T or a Canadian carriers radios – it’s still too early to tell. Ubuntu flavored Linux was successfully ported to the 10.1 version as of Wednesday, and this particular Linux port looks like something more users would be interested in. It runs at a 1280×800 resolution so expect this to feel more like a proper port of the OS. In other news, the developer of the highly popular home-replacement application Launcher Pro, has released a beta of his music app. It looks slicker than many other current music players on the market so try downloading it on the market while it’s free.

Skype has finally given Android users the ability to video chat on select devices. Does Skype video chat work on your device? Be sure to let us know within the comments section below. Finally, don’t forget to register to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7” over at Taco Bell.