It’s been great here in the tech world this past week, with Google Music now open to the public, some amazing Black Friday sales starting to emerge, and finally some more Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in our lives. Monday, Notion Ink hinted that on November 17, Android 4.0 source code would likely hit the net. Fortunately, they were wrong again – as Google leaked it to the public later that same day!
I’m sure you’ve seen our great hands-on and unboxing of the Galaxy Nexus, but don’t forget to check out some of our more specific videos! One of them including a 1080p video sample and some photo samples. Most interesting about the Galaxy Nexus (and Android 4.0 for that matter), is that once the video capture application is launched and running, you can just tap the screen to save precise video frames straight to the phone! Yet another video worth taking a look at is how voice dictation works on the Galaxy Nexus. Yes, I know we’ve all seen it already in the official release of Android 4.0, but such an amazing feature deserves to be watched twice. Google finally patented its pattern unlock screen Friday, but what about its new facial unlock feature? It seems that will prove to be just as unique.
Nowadays, more than 50% of smartphones sold worldwide run Android OS. I’m sure this number will rise steadily as amazing deals are just around the corner. T-Mobile just launched its “Magenta Saturday Sale” offering any one of their smartphones (and even a few tablets) for only $49 as a downpayment. Even better, Sam’s Club will be offering the Galaxy S II, PHOTON 4G, and DROID Charge for less than a dollar on Black Friday! If you’re on a budget and need to upgrade that old smartphone, then keep your eyes peeled for deals like these.
Be sure to check out our official HTC Rezound review, as it is quite the powerhouse. Though not as popular in the media as the Motorola DROID RAZR, it is just as speedy. The HTC Rezound looks to be replacing the HTC Thunderbolt, and is also capable of 4G LTE speeds. Verizon’s 4G LTE market went live in 14 new locations Thursday, so be sure to check if it now reaches your area! Also, AT&T started expanding its fairly new 4G LTE technology to 6 new markets today; hopefully other carriers don’t get left too far behind!
Also reviewed this week was the Samsung Captivate Glide on AT&T. No, it can not access AT&T’s 4G LTE markets, but nevertheless – this QWERTY slider has some great specs. Finally, Google Music has been released to the public! Users can now enjoy the ability to purchase songs straight from the Android Market. Even better, installation of Google Music allows you to stream up to 20,000 songs from your own library! This includes the ability to “offline” your favorites whenever you want.
With Black Friday approaching so quickly, be sure to check back with Android Community as often as you can; we’ll be positing any great deals that leak or are sent in so you can get them while they last!
