Sprint Galaxy S III makes an appearance on Bluetooth SIG

 

Earlier today we had reported that a supposed Verizon Galaxy S III model was spotted on the Bluetooth SIG website. Now a possible Sprint variant has also appeared under the model number SPH-L710, which closely resembles the model number to Sprint’s Galaxy S II, SPH-D710. I think all of us Sprint customers already assumed that we would be getting a GSIII this summer, but it’s nice to start getting some confirmation. With the Evo 4G LTE delays, is anyone considering waiting out for the GSIII?

Source: Bluetooth

ASUS Releases Bootloader Unlock Tool for the Transformer Pad 300

Oh ASUS, how we love you so. Not only are you giving us cutting edge hardware and lightly bloated software, you also give us the ability to unlock your devices so that we can do as we please. Sure it comes at the price of voiding our warranties, but that is a risk and a responsibility us crack-flashers are willing to deal with.

Like they did shortly after the Transformer Prime was released, ASUS today released the Unlock Tool for the Transformer Pad 300 and allows users the ability to unlock the device’s bootlader. Not only does this make a growing population of the Android community happy, it hopefully sets a precedent for other manufacturers to do the same. The process is rather easy and is only a matter of installing a third party app and pressing a couple of buttons. One thing is for certain, though. If you don’t know what you are getting into, it is highly recommended that you educate yourself on the risks of altering your device’s software. This process WILL void your warranty and ASUS actually keeps tabs on the serial numbers that have been unlocked. So if you are the owner of a new Transformer Pad 300 and want to gain full control over your device, hit up the source link below for details on how to unlock your tablet’s bootloader. Kuddos ASUS, kuddos.

Source: ASUS

Did Apple’s Lawsuit Affect The Design Quality Of The Galaxy S III?

Buzz around the Internet is that Samsung’s Galaxy S III took its design ques as a result of the ever ongoing battle with Apple’s patent infringement case. Samsung design VP, Chang Dong-hoon was asked earlier today to give his feedback on the matter to which he denied it being the case at all. According to reporters, at the 2012 Seoul Digital Forum, Dong-hoon claimed the following to clear the matter up:

“Our change in smartphone design is part of a five-year plan, not a sudden turn-around”

Dong-hoon was persistent in noting that the design of the GSIII’s curved shape was due in part to be the product of hundreds of different iterations and not the pressure of the battle against Apple. Either way, I’m very pleased with the design quality of the device, even though a literal brush metal would have been nice instead of a metal-”ish” material. What do you think?

Source: inews24

HTC One S Faster GPS Fix Available Now, Speeds Up GPS Lock

Have you recently picked up a shiny new HTC One S and have noticed that the GPS seems to lock-on rather slow? This isn’t a largely widespread complaint but when something can be improved the Android dev community will never shy from a challenge. Thanks to senior XDA member, MacroHD, we now have a flashable fix for you rooted users and has been proven to speed up the phone’s GPS lock. Simply download the file that pertains to the country you have service in and flash that zip through your custom recovery. One thing should be mentioned, though. MacroHD says that the fix will not be instantaneous because your device needs to redownload new A-GPS data. You can either flash the fix while you have a data connection and be patient for the device to update itself, or you can simply download the new A-GPS data yourself. To do this you will just need to grab the GPS Status app from the Play Store and use that to manually install the A-GPS data yourself. Easy enough!

Hit the source link for your appropriate download and further details. As always, it is safest to make a backup before you flash anything to your device! Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

Source: XDA

Google Granted with 4 New Patents for Project Glass

In a world where patent lawsuits and idea-borrowing are a real issue, it appears that Google wants to lock down a few of the inner workings of their upcoming wearable tech, Project Glass. According to some new, recently granted patents (four to be exact), Google now owns the rights to the business end of their AR glasses. The folks at Engadget did some digging through the patent paperwork and noticed that pretty much everything that makes Project Glass different from regular eye-wear have been patented. This includes that the part that covers the eye and relays information (including the ability to relay different information over each eye), the pressure sensitive nose-pad that tells the device it is being worn, and the ability visually reproduce ambient sounds by displaying its origin information.

Now that we’ve seen Google execs wearing the device in public and have a few more patents out of the way, the big question is when will we be able to get our hands on a pair of these specs! I know I am sure hoping to get a closer look at this years Google I/O in a couple months… Nexus locs anyone?

Source: USPTO / 2 / 3 / 4
via: Engadget

Sprint Says HTC EVO 4G LTE Pre-Orders will Arrive this Week

Great news for you folks who pre-ordered a new HTC EVO 4G LTE! Sprint has just announced that they expect to begin shipping the device really soon (like tomorrow soon). A Sprint representative took to the Sprint Blog to announce the following:

Customers who pre-ordered HTC EVO 4G LTE…Your wait is almost over! Sprint expects to begin shipping HTC EVO 4G LTE for arrival on or around Thursday, May 24 to customers who pre-ordered the device online from Sprint.

So there you have it. It looks like the wait is almost over and you will have your new EVO 4G LTE in your hot little hands this week. You should receive an email containing your tracking order the moment it ships but you can also check the status of your shipment by visiting http://www.sprint.com/myorder. For those people who didn’t place a pre-order, Sprint expects to “provide details on the full national launch as soon as possible.” Hit the source link below to see the Sprint blog announcement for yourself.

Cheers @CoffeeRoomNews!

Source: Sprint Blog

Verizon Galaxy Nexus rumored to receive Android 4.0.4 tomorrow

Word from the grapevine is that Big Red is planning to finally release Android ICS 4.0.4 to the Galaxy Nexus masses with OTA (over-the-air) roll-out commencing as soon as tomorrow. This rumor supposedly comes from a Verizon customer who was visiting their local store and was briefly shown a Verizon proprietary document detailing the upcoming OTA update. So for those of you who didn’t want to manually install Android 4.0.4 to your GNex, the wait may finally be over. Only tomorrow will tell if this rumor pans out so be sure to keep a eye on your notification bar for a possible icy treat.

Source: pocketnow

Sony Xperia U all set for Three UK

UK network Three looks set to bolster its entry level line-up by selling Sony’s Xperia U on both contract and Pay as You Go. The Xperia U was introduced to the world during the Mobile World Congress however it was quickly overshadowed by the more glamorous high-end phones on display.

In case you’re wondering, the Xperia U is an Android 2.3 device sporting a 3.5″ FWVGA reality display, a 1GHz dualcore processor and a 5MP camera capable of 720 HD video capture. Whilst these are modest specs, the phone will be available for a wallet-friendly £169.99 SIM-free or for £20 per month with no up front charge on a 2 year contract.

This solid, stylish handset is also expected to hit the shelves of O2, Orange and T-Mobile in the coming weeks. If Three’s deals float your boat then hit the source link to get your order in.

Source: Three UK

Apple seek to ban the Galaxy Tab in the US (again)

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. This invaluable proverb has been motivating children in the UK for over 200 years now and I was fairly certain that I’d never find a scenario where it doesn’t fit… until now.

In its eternal battle to ban pretty much everything ever invented that doesn’t have an Apple logo on it, Apple hauled Samsung through the US courts last summer with a view to banning the original Galaxy Tab 10.1. Apple’s bid didn’t prove fruitful on that occasion however news from Foss Patents surfaced today suggesting that Apple is back in for a second bite at the cherry and that perhaps this time it might just succeed.

Florian Muller from Foss Patents had the following to say on their website: “Apple’s motion is fairly likely to succeed. If and when it does, there will be formal U.S. bans in place against all three of the leading Android device makers. Also on Friday, the ITC ordered a U.S. import ban against Motorola’s Android-based devices (to the extent those infringe a particular Microsoft patent), and in December, the U.S. trade agency also banned HTC’s products that infringe a particular Apple patent — as a result, two HTC product rollouts just got delayed.”

With Apple and Samsung due in court later in the week with a view to attempting to put an end to this nonsense, this writer will certainly be hoping not to write another article on litigation any time soon. Seriously Apple; save the money for your R&D department, it needs it way more.

Source: Foss Patents

HTC’s Bluetooth Music Adapter Now Available, Works with Most Bluetooth Enabled Devices

I am not sure if you remember hearing about HTC’s cool new Bluetooth Music Adapter that was announced at this years Mobile World Congress. If not, it’s this great little dongle that allows you to wirelessly stream music to an auxiliary input on any stereo that has a 3.5mm headphone jack and is finally available for purchase. What’s great about this little guy is that although it is made by HTC, it is not limited to HTC devices only. Since it uses Bluetooth it should work with any device that has Bluetooth connectivity and will eliminate the need for that annoying audio cable while driving or playing music at home. Simply plug the dongle into your car or home stereo’s auxiliary input and stream away! It will even auto-pair with select HTC smartphones and tablets.

The dongle supports A2DP as well as CSR aptX so music will sound much better than Bluetooth audio has sounded in the past. Sporting a microUSB port for charging, the dongle’s 85 mAh battery is rated at 5 hours of play time and will last 120 hours on standby. It also has a handy power-off feature that will activate after the device remains idle for a set period of time. Retailing for $59.99, you can order one right now from Sprint and have it delivered to your house in only a couple of days. I called my local Sprint store and ordered one so be on the lookout for a review in the near future. In the meantime, if you want to get one for yourself click through the source link below to place an order. This is going to be one handy accessory for those of you who use your Android device as a music player.

Thanks Kevin!

Source: Sprint