If you didn’t already know Samsung are going to be all over the London 2012 Games and the Galaxy Note and Galaxy S III are set to play a big part in it. If you’ve already seen the Samsung Hope Relay app Beckham and the Note make an appearance and the Note is also on the London 2012 website showing off the Official London 2012 Join In App.

What we can expect is unknown but many think it could be a new Note or Samsung could well be showing off the Premium Suite that comes with Ice Cream Sandwich,a special edition Note for London 2012 or even some Note specific apps to celebrate the Olympic Games coming to the City. The above vid is the teaser video and there was a full one but Samsung have pulled it.

[androidcentral]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you’re packing a device from HTC with the HTC Watch app installed there are a  host of films to be had at only 5p. There are 200 to pick through including Lethal Weapon 1,2 and 3 and the brilliant Hunt For Red October. Below is the full list.

10,000 Bc
2001: Space Odyssey
300
Action Jackson
Adventures Of Pluto Nash
Adventures Of Tintin
Aeon Flux
Alexander
All The Presidents Men
Analyse That
Analyse This
Another Cinderella Story
Ant Bully
Any Which Way You Can
Around The World In 80 Days
Astronaut Farmer
ATL
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Bait
Batman Begins
Batman Beyond: The Return Of The Joker
Batman Forever
Batman: Mystery Of The Batwoman
Beetlejuice
Best In Show
Beyond The Poseidon Adventure
Blazing Saddles
Bodyguard
Boogie Nights
Brave One
Breakfast At Tiffanys
Caddyshack
Cats And Dogs
Catwoman
Center Stage
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Cinderella Story
City Of Angels
Clash Of The Titans (1981)
Cloverfield
Clueless
Collateral Damage
Conspiracy Theory
Constantine
Contact
Contagion
Cool Hand Luke
Crazy Stupid Love
Curly Sue
Dark Knight
Dave
Deep Blue Sea
Demolition Man
Dennis The Menace
Dennis The Menace Christmas
Devils Advocate
Dirty Harry
Divine Secrets Of The Ya Ya Sisterhood
Doc Hollywood
Dog Day Afternoon
Dolphin Tale
Dreamcatcher
Drillbit Taylor
Driven
Dukes Of Hazard
Dumb And Dumber
Eight Legged Freaks
Empire Of The Sun
Enter The Dragon
Every Which Way But Loose
Excalibur
Executive Decision
Exit Wounds
Exorcist
Exorcist 2
Eyes Wide Shut
Ferris Buellers Day Off
Firewall
Footloose
Free Willy
Free Willy 2
Free Willy 3
Friday The 13Th
Get Smart
Ghost Ship
Godfather
Godfather Part 3
Grumpier Old Men
Grumpy Old Men
Hairspray
Happy Feet
Happy Feet 2
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone
Home Fries
House Of Wax
Hunt For Red October
Iron Giant
Jackass 2.5
Jackass Number 2
Kangaroo Jack
Lady In The Water
Lake House
Last Boy Scout
Last Samurai
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2
Lethal Weapon 3
License To Wed
Little Princess
Little Shop Of Horrors
Looney Tunes Back In Action
Lost Boys
Lost Boys The Tribe
Mad Max 2
March Of The Penguins
Martin Lawrence Runteldat
Matrix
Maverick
Michael (1996)
Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Bad
Miss Congeniality 2
Mission Impossible
Murder By Numbers
Music And Lyrics
Must Love Dogs
My Blue Heaven
Mystic River
Nancy Drew
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
National Lampoons European Vacation
New Jack City
No Country For Old Men
Oceans 11 (1960)
Oceans 11 (2001)
Oceans 12
Outbreak
Outland
Paranormal Activity 3
Pay It Forward
Pelican Brief
Perfect Murder
Perfect Storm
Pleasant Ville
Polar Express
Police Academy
Poseidon
Postman
Puss In Boots
Rebel Without A Cause
Replacements
Richie Rich
Rio Bravo
Risky Business
Romeo Must Die
Rumour Has It
Scooby Doo 2
Scooby Doo The Movie
Selena
Singin In The Rain
Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants
Something To Talk About
Space Cowboys
Specialist
Speed Racer
Spiderwick Chronicles
Star Trek (2009)
Star Trek 2 The Wrath Of Khan
Star Trek 3 The Search For Spock
Star Trek Viii First Contact
Star Trex Ix Insurrection
Stardust
Superman 2
Superman Returns
Syirana
Taking Lives
Tango And Cash
The Avengers
The Island
The Twilight Zone
Three Kings
TMNT
Top Gun
Transformers
Truman Show
Two Week Notice
Unaccompanied Minors
V For Vendetta
We Are Marshall
We Need To Talk About Kevin
What A Girl Wants
Where The Wild Things Are
Wild Bunch
Wild Wild West
Witches Of Eastwick
Wizard Of Oz
You’ve Got Mail
Zoolander

[HUKD]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Peppa Pig Polly Parrot is an entertaining collection of four interactive games which includes a special bonus reward sticker book featuring Peppa Pig and her family, plus all the familiar music and sound effects. Of course this is one for those little darlings that happen to have access to your expensive phone or tablet.

FEATURES

This fun App features the following games:-

Matching Pairs – Turn over the cards to find a matching pair. With 3 difficulty levels and 2 time modes, players can have fun taking as long as they like or race against the clock.

Talking Parrot – Based on the Nintendo DS mini-game, the player can make Polly Parrot say a variety of silly phrases guaranteed to make your little ones laugh out load.

Feed Polly – Polly is hungry and wants her crackers. The player has to count the correct number of crackers that Polly wants and choose the right colours.

Where’s Polly – Oh dear, Polly has escaped from her cage. This is a hide and seek style game that involves the player trying to find Polly in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations. There is also an against the clock mode.

Sticker Book – Collect virtual stickers along the way and decorate a sticker book.

Android 2.1 and up is required and will work across various screen types. You can get it via Google Play here in exchange for £ 1.99

www.androiduknewsetc.com

They have some very good apps on Google Play,I’ve got all of them installed and my favourite is doubleTwist player where you can search,listen and download podcasts and play music and video on your device.  Other apps from them include AirSync which allows you to play media on your device through your Xbox or PlayStation.  Alarm Clock is pretty much straight forward but it has many features, it also looks great too.

These  apps are so good that every day 2 million people are using them and to celebrate that you can now pick them up at half price. AirSync can be yours for £2.49,Alarm Clock is down to 99p and in app purchases inside doubleTwist Player are also half price. Every new device, these are among the first I download.  Get all of them now whilst they are on the cheap from Google Play.

[doubletwist]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Picture from SlashGear

Here in the UK the mobile market is huge, there are more phone retailers that you can count on your hands and all those that try to get us to buy their devices spend a great deal of money to get our attention when we walk in to a shop. Both Samsung and HTC must be doing something right as they have grabbed 86% of the Android market, that equates to 9 in every 10. Android is still doing well with 50.1% of the smartphone market, up from 44.6 this time last year.   HTC will be pleased with their One Series, staff at various phone retailers have seen an increase in customers moving over from the iPhone and of course with Samsung knocking Nokia off the top spot with their Galaxy range they are sure to keep that lead with the Galaxy S III making its arrival in a couple of weeks.

The same can’t be said for LG and Sony. The Xperia S that received a very warm welcome when it arrived but with poor  results in terms of  finance they have only managed to take 10.4% but LG are really struggling to get in to double figures as they hold a very poor 1% of the market. There will be many reasons for this and one could well be that HTC and Samsung market their products very well. Walk in to say a Carphone Warehouse and you’ll see a big wall of the entire HTC and Samsung range with a little slot for Sony and LG only seem to have a few basic handsets darted about.

It will of course be interesting to see what the sales figures for the HTC One range and Galaxy S III look like in the coming weeks.

[mobile news]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The official Android London 2012 Join In App is now on Google Play and tells you that it is the only app you’ll need to keep up to date with whats going on the lead up to London 2012 and whilst the games are in full swing. Looking through the app description it seems pretty comprehensive and should offer up all you need to know from the Torch Relay to the closing ceremony.   The app also has a very handy feature that allows you to pin your location on a map so that others can find you and as there are going to be one or two people in London for the games you’re bound to lose sight of someone in the crowds.

For those of you that want to keep in touch with the Torch Relay the app gives you  street-level routes for 1000+ communities over 70 days, and details of Torchbearers. View the current Torch position in real-time using the Torch Tracker function.So for those of you heading to the London 2012 Games this could be a worthwhile download.

Full features will include:

What’s on: full and up-to-date event listings for thousands of exciting activities, including free events, London 2012 Festival cultural events and big screens (Live Sites), across London and the UK – find out what’s happening near you, on an hour-by-hour basis.

Torch today: view the Olympic Torch Relay with street-level routes for 1000+ communities over 70 days, and details of Torchbearers. View the current Torch position in real-time using the Torch Tracker function. See daily video highlights and photos as the Torch Relay unfolds.

Paralympic Torch Relay: find out about the Flame Festivals taking place across the UK in August.

Spectator guide: get details of facilities and information about how to get the best out of your historic day out.

Road events: find out about free medal events such as the Marathon and Road Cycling Race.

Jump to: interactive, searchable maps of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, the UK, London and the Olympic Park.

Detail maps: access and seating maps for the Olympic Park and 20+ venues.

Live updates: news, photos and social commentary from the Games.

My Games: create a personal schedule creation to help you plan your Olympic and Paralympic experience.

Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare integration: tweet, upload photos, post to your wall, check-in and let your friends know what you’re doing.

The app can be downloaded now from Google Play, is free and requires Android 2.2 and up plus 24MB of space. You can also get it via the QR code below. If you look here you can also download the Time Out book for £8.99.

What are QR codes?

[London 2012]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The Sony Xperia P and U are set to be released a week early and you can pick them up from KingOfGadgets by placing your order over on their website. For £229.99 the Xperia U comes with a 3.5 inch screen,a  1 GHz Dual-core  Processor,a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, and LED flash. Other specs include  720p video recording and running Android Gingerbread.

As for the P, it comes with a few slightly better specs, an 8 megapixel camera, 1080p video recording  and 16GB of storage. Other than that there isn’t much to tell them apart.T he asking price for this one  comes in at £323.08, so if more MP’s in your camera is what you’re looking for this is the one for you. You can place your orders here for the U and here for the P now.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you’ve lost any hope of the Andy Pad getting an update to Ice Cream Sandwich you might just be pleased to know that it will be hitting the tablets this week at some point. The tablets made their appearance at the back-end of last year and seemed to have faded away after a few months. With the update to ICS on the way it will no doubt revive a bit more interest in the tablets. If you wanted to get one but waited or want to know what they’re all about  they can be picked up via the Andy Pad website here which seems to have come along way the last time I looked back in September.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If great customer service and an all round bunch of nice people isn’t enough of an incentive to buy your RAZR MAXX from Clove how about the chance to win a Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition? With every order both past and present made you’ll get entered in to a draw to win the tablet from them. Orders have to be made before midnight on Saturday June 30th 2012.

The RAZR MAXX is selling over on their website for £430.80 and can be ordered here. The phone comes running a 1.2GHz Dual Core processor,a 4.3 Super AMOLED Advanced screen plus a host of other goodies including an 8 megapixel camera.  All details about the competition can be found over on the Clove Blog which you will find here. Good luck to you all.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you have an ASUS TF101 you’ll be a happy bunny as bug fixes for the Ice Cream Sandwich update are being pushed out. Before you rush off and get the update you are advised to cold boot it so you clean the cache and temporary files which is just a precautionary measure, see the video above. As for what the update brings, you’ll get a host of stability improvements to the email application,MyNet and the addition of face unlock and system bar lock.

Good to see a great device getting those pesky little bugs sorted.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

A pretty big update here for the train ticket app from CrossCountry one of the many options to source tickets if you’re heading somewhere by train. With a new UI and some handy new features including detailed station search and journey manager this app is among one of the better ones avaliable. You can get it from Google Play here and they don’t charge a booking fee either.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Looks like many retailers will be saying a fond farewell to the Wildfire S with this new device from HTC. As you know Three,Orange and the rest will be stocking it and for those that would prefer a sim free unlocked version you can get one from Clove Technology, a nice bunch of people who sell loads of other stuff too but if you’re looking for a phone running Ice Cream Sandwich at a budget this could well be what you have been after.

There is in no way will set the World of smartphones on fire but at ££189.99 all in you can’t go wrong. To get one you need to head over to the Clove Technology website here

www.androiduknewsetc.com

I’m looking forward to this game from Infinite Dreams and we will all be able to download come the 24th of May. It’s called Shoot the Zombirds and will see you shooting Zombies with a slight twist, they’re birds this time.  Infinite Dreams have a bunch of great titles on Google Play and this looks set to be yet another hit for them One of may favourites at the moment is Jelly Defense, a game well worth checking out. The above teaser is for their next project called Shoot The Zombirds, it’s Shoot the Birds but with a Zombie element to it. They hope to have it out on Google Play very soon and hopefully we’ll get an early look. In the meantime check out the video above and we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.  You can also take a look at all their titles over on Google Play

Here’s the teaser video and below the press release:

Gliwice, Poland – Infinite Dreams, award-winning mobile games publisher is proud to announce that Shoot the Zombirds will hit the mobile market on May 24th. Additionally Polish developer has revealed today the first official screenshots for the forthcoming release of the awaited by fans mobile game.

The screenshots present amazing and addictive gameplay which will keep gamers playing all night long. High-resolution eye-catching gorgeous graphics, well-known shooting engine and fantastic sounds will be the most important advantages of this production.

Do you remember Pumpkin Boy? Last year he was protecting little Pumpkids from the evil birds.Now, that the Pumpkids have grown up a bit, the undead birds are after them once again. Teaser trailer below gives a small taste of what you can expect from the Infinite Dreams next project.

Shoot the Zombirds teaser: http://youtu.be/SfZOzNSk99Y  

Soon players all over the world will have the chance to dive into the new and absorbing game of bird and zombie shooting. Both at the same time! The main goal of the forthcoming Shoot the Zombirds release is to defend little Pumpkids against the demonic hordes of undead birds.

With eye-catching gorgeous graphics and zombie themed story, Shoot the Zombirds will deliver quick action gameplay and intuitive control scheme. The game reached gold status and on May 24^th will be released on the Google Play and the Apple App Store.

 About Infinite Dreams Inc.:

Infinite Dreams Inc. is a game development studio located in Gliwice, Poland. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, the company develops top quality games for a broad range of digital platforms such as iOS, Android, Mac OS, Windows Phone, Symbian and beyond. It’s focus is set on high quality,innovative and addictive applications. As a result, games developed by Infinite Dreams have already been downloaded more than 20.000.000 times worldwide

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If there is a One X close to hand and it happens to be the unlocked international version you might want to see if there is an update waiting for you. This update comes in at around 14MB and takes it up to version 1.29.401.11. As for what it does, you should now see an end to a few issues such as the screen flickering say some. If you have one spread the word and tell us all what if anything you notice to be different.

[Thanks sjcrows]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you pre-ordered the Samsung Galaxy S III at the  Samsung store in London’s Westfield Stratford City shopping centre you’ll be getting your hands on the thing a whole day before anyone else. Others who went or go to other retailers will have to wait that little bit extra, a whole hour as Samsung have told other retailers they can dish out their pre-orders if they wish.

We’ve had an overwhelming response from our retail partners and customers alike since announcing the Galaxy S III on 3 May. So we wanted to delight our customers and reward them for pre-ordering by letting them get their hands on the device a day before anyone else.

As the 29th falls on a Tuesday your day at work is going to be spent watching that clock if you’re getting one. Much hype has been built up around the Samsung Galaxy S III so lets hope that after all the build up your hard-earned cash has been worthwhile. If you do pop down to Westfeild, there’s an app in Google Play that could point you to a nice little coffee shop so you can unleash your nice new phone from the box in front of some…sheep!

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you are after a case for you HTC One X or Galaxy S II Carphone have a nice little deal going on their cases. You can pick up any One X case with a cool 50 percent knocked off the list price when you buy any phone. They have also slashed Galaxy S II cases by 25 percent, again when you buy any phone. As the One X is a fairly new phone it is a pretty fair deal. Grab them in store or via their website here where you will also see price drops on memory cards and other bits and bobs.

If you pop down to your local store you’ll also notice things have been moved about, something to do with their monthly price changes. One thing that stood out in mine is their iPhone display is hidden behind a pillar.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

What could well see the end of the Wildfire, the Desire C along with being available on Three will see its way to Orange and T – Mobile. You’ll be looking at around £15.50 on contract and £170 on PAYG. Ice Cream Sandwich and 25GB of dropbox storage make an appearance with the 5 MP camera all powered by a 600MHz processor, which for a budget handset isn’t that bad or a second phone when you’d rather leave your One X at home.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

O2 are said to be rolling out what is known as DC-HSPA or dual-cell high speed packet access to their customers in the UK. This will give you around  42Mbps of speed but whilst that sounds great you will probably see less than that out in the real World. Other networks are also set to roll it out, Three are set for the Summer,Everything Everywhere plan to roll it out later in the year and Vodafone have already been using it but their speeds are said to be a little  slower at 28Mbps.

So, if you have a device that supports DC-HSPA, live somewhere that has it flying around you’ll be able to get a slight increase on your data speed.  ’Major’ cities around the UK are expected to be first with it so if you live in London and the likes of Manchester keep an eye out. If you have an unlimited data bundle this will be a major advantage too.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

With the London 2012 Games fast approaching many of you will be using your phones and tablets to keep up to date with all that is going at the various venues across the UK. One app that could be of use and  has been sitting over on Google Play is Visit Stratford. The idea of the app is to highlight what you can get up to, be that a trip to the shops or if you’re looking for something to eat and of course as 17 of the 26 games take place in Stratford and the surrounding areas this will be a pretty good companion.

The app description says that you’ll find over 500 listings of things to do and it includes  an audio walking guide, interactive map and real-time transport information and updates to make the most of your visit or stay during London 2012 but no reason it can’t be used after the games have long gone.  For now the app can be downloaded over on Google Play and if you have trouble downloading or Google Play says you can’t have it download it here straight to your device scan the QR code below.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Looks like HTC have something to be happy about at last. Apart from having the first quad-core phone out on the market they seem to be selling pretty well too. Up on their Facebook page they have a picture of their pretty impressive phone with 2,000,000 where you would find the clock and the words ‘Thank you. Times two million’ which is a nice little gesture of appreciation.

No doubt this will be a slight relief  for HTC who have had a tough run of it as of late what with poor sales figures, drop in the stock price and Apple and others snapping at them for various reasons. After playing with one I can see why people like it and I’m sure those sales figures will increase and it will be interesting to see how it goes up against all the hype of the Samsung Galaxy S III who will be making an appearance very soon.

[HTC Pedia]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Very much the little brother to the One series the HTC Desire C comes with the choice of black or white and a 3.7 inch screen where you can look and view pictures or videos taken with the 5 megapixel camera. Out of the box this thing will have Android Ice Cream Sandwich and the same sense you’ll find on the One X,S and V. HTC have even packed in Beats Audio and NFC enabled so although this may come as the budget version of the One series spec wise it isn’t that bad.

As Brendan has done one of his famous sneak peek videos that means that Three will be stocking it but as of yet no news on when and how much.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

LG are set to release their LG  Optimus 4x HD next month but as of yet there are no details about who with and how much. The Optimus 4X HD was first talked about back at Mobile World Congress and is set to be available here in the UK along with Germany,Poland and Italy. The phone comes running Ice Cream Sandwich,has a 1.5GHz dual core processor,4.7 inch screen and 16GB of internal storage and more.

LG haven’t  done that well over the past year or so and this may appeal to the hard-core fans but with the Samsung Galaxy S III set to be announced at the end of this month and HTC doing pretty well with their One series  LG will need to make a lot of noise to get their offering noticed.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you’re a customer of O2 and often think that their Priority Moments deals could do better they are now looking for your ideas and will be using the likes of Twitter and Facebook to gather your thoughts and from there approach brands to bring you the best deals they can. O2 have a wealth of customers and so there should be some pretty good deals. Thats not to say that the ones they currently offer are bad, free cinema tickets, money off at restaurants are all provided just for being a customer.

Priority Moments is all about creating great experiences and adding value for our customers,now we want to take that a step further by asking them to tell us what brands they would like us to approach for new offers via Priority Moments.

Since launching back in July last year some big savings have been had for customers to the tune of £7.5 million and with tough times for lots of us at the moment they hope to still provide a good range of things to do and places to go with plenty of savings along the way. To get your ideas across to O2 all you need to do is use #o2prioritymoments in your tweet or head over to their Facebook page.

[Mobile News]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

It’s around 58MB and will improve the device’s battery and should help improve the overall use of your One S. If you haven’t already been notified all you ned to do is head to Settings>About phone>Software updates. As it’s a small update it shouldn’t take that long to download and install but still make sure you’ve got things backed up and some decent battery power and this update comes after the One X also on Three saw an update roll out to address various issues.

[Three]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

T-Mobile are gearing up for the release of the Galaxy S III and have given you an option to grab it on their Full Monty tariff. There is an up front cost of £49.99 and from then on in you’ll be paying £36 per month for unlimited texts,calls and internet use. T-Mobile doesn’t have any further details on tariffs, you can’t even pre-order it but if you take a little trip to their website here you can put your name down to be kept up to date with all things Galaxy S III from them. If you’re looking for it with other networks and retailers, here is a list of those that are taking pre-orders.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Samsung have come up with a great way to help you give a few quid to charity and all you have to do is download an app and Samsung do the rest. It’s called Samsung Hope Relay and for every mile you complete Samsung will donate £1 per mile up to 27 per person. Do the sums and this could well end up running in to the millions. You can do your mile by walking, running or getting on your bike, Stuart should be able to max out his 26 miles in a day or two!

The money will be going to the Kids Company, a charity that looks out for  vulnerable children and provides them with something that many of us take for granted, a good meal. A staggering 85 % of Children at Kids Company say they rely on them for their main meal of the day which is something you would think happens in other countries. The event runs up until the 12th of August this year so there is plenty of time for you all to get involved.

The app is very easy to use and here are the main points:

-  The app uses GPS to track your movement be it a walk, run or cycle
- Keep track of all of your runs through the app, you can take part alone or as part of a team.
- Keep your motivation levels up with audio messages from friends during your run
- Broadcast your success and get your friends involved via Facebook, Twitter, SMS and Emai

You can download it now over on Google Play and you’ll need Android 2.1 and up with 10MB of space. After you have downloaded the app and set it up take a look at the Kids Company website here to find out more about the work they do.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

People taking and placing calls on trains are bad enough so this might come to be a pain when you’re 40 odd thousand feet in the air. Virgin Atlantic are set to offer customers the chance to gabble away whilst flying between London and New York, The service is being run by AeroMobile and is already up and running on BA flights although it only offers text messaging and web which is just fine I would say. The service won’t be available during take off and landing and when you get within 250 miles of US airspace the service will be turned off altogether.

Virgin are also pumping a fair bit of cash in to making your flight more gadget friendly, USB are being planned so you can charge your bits on without having to worry about running out of juice. In flight calls, a good idea?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

This may well be a case of being pushed in to it but still this is great news for O2 customers who are packing their bags and heading to the EU for a break. Very much like Vodafone passport O2 are bringing in a flat rate charge of 50p to connect a call and then you’ll see remaining minutes taken from your monthly bundle.

Only yesterday some unknown people told the networks to slash the cost of roaming charges for data and calls to avoid ‘bill shock’ and whilst I agree they can be high it does come down to self-regulation and watching what you use.  Data will be charged at 25MB of data per day for £1.99 but with the Wi-Fi capability your phone is bound to have you could avoid data costs altogether, The service will kick in come July and will be available to all Pay Monthly and business customers.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

After what has been a long wait I’ve just downloaded and installed Android Ice Cream Sandwich on my rather spiffing Galaxy Note.  So far I’m liking it and after a play with a Samsung Galaxy S II running ICS I have to say that it looks and feels better on the Note. If you are using a pin to unlock your device one of the fist things you’ll notice is the ‘OK’ button is now to the right and the delete button has also been moved.  It was good to see everything there on my device, the only thing I have had to do is sort  the homescreen to my liking again. 

The extra goodies you get just because it’s a Galaxy Note include the new productivity app. S Note offers extra functionality that takes advantage of the S-Pen and brings  Formula match,Shape match,Handwriting-to-text and Knowledge search that are all new ways to write, work out mathematical equations all using the digital stylus or scribble down ideas.

 Your email apps,both Gmail and the stock app look,feel and run so much better.  Pulling down the notification bar also has some improvements. Power Saving mode now sits along the other options and Settings can be accessed too. Any notifications can be dealt with a simple swipe to the right.  The Google Chrome browser is one of the features I was very keen to try and  one of the first extra apps I downloaded giving it a real Google touch. The stock browser though has been improved with many new settings but I think that as I use Google Chrome on my Laptop this will now be the browser of choice for my Note.

So, the Galaxy Note has become the longest-serving phone clocking up 6 months with me and that is a long time for a phone and with the added features that Ice Cream Sandwich has to offer it will still be with me for a little while yet. If you’ve managed to get the download let us all know and if you have any questions or tips and tricks to pass on stick them in the comments below, I’ll be spending a bit  of today getting my homescreen back to the way I like it and trying out all the new features.  If you haven’t got it you can push it to your device by visiting this website and follow the very simple instructions.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Whilst I decide if the HTC One X or indeed the Galaxy S III is to take up home with me those of you that have made your mind up and are waiting for the S III to arrive on Vodafone can now place your orders with them. Vodafone does hold a slight advantage over other networks and retailers in that they have the 32GB version as an exclusive but are asking a bit of cash for it. £41 per month is the way to get it ‘free’ which gets you 900 minutes, a bag full of texts and 2GB of data. If you place your order by the 29th of May they’ll even give you 100 free music tracks. So, whilst I work through my dilemma over the One X or  S III you can pre-order the next Galaxy phone via Vodafone here where you’ll see all the available tariffs.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Looks like us Android users are considered ‘stingy’ when it comes to donations to charitable causes.. A report from The Big Society Network said that Android users buy fewer apps and don’t buy anything through them. I’m sure that most of you will all give in some way to charity and it doesn’t have to be done via an app anyway. Whilst technology  does offer a great platform for you to donate it shouldn’t be a reliable source. Of course there are though other ways that you can give using your phone, The Red Cross and others will have a shortcode that you can text and Children In Need does the same and to be honest it seems a pretty easy way of doing it.  Vodafone set up JustTextGiving that helps you raise money by setting up a text code that donors can use.

Giving hasn’t increased in the past 30 years a proportion of household spend, and only about 3 per cent of all donations are made via web/mobile.

At the same time though Apple won’t allow apps that allow donations in to their App Store so their ‘beef’ should be aimed at Apple and Apple alone and people shouldn’t be judged by what OS their phone runs. Some companies set up schemes where money is taken from wage packets, we all drop money in to collection boxes and some even take a trip to the shops, fill a trolley up and give it to their local food bank with no phone needed.

[somobile]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The European Parliament today voted in favour of new regulation on roaming, including price ceilings for calls and data roaming.  The vote followed a first-reading agreement by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on 28 March. GOSIM.com, an international SIM card provider, believes that while this ‘yes’ vote is a great step in the right direction, and the EU Commission are doing the right thing, other jurisdictions globally are seriously lagging behind. There is an urgent need for even stronger legislation to protect mobile phone subscribers travelling for both personal and business reasons from bill shock while abroad.

 “Today’s vote in the European Parliament should act as a wake-up call to the rest of the industry – and the world – that roaming charges are currently too high and that subscribers have a right to be protected from bill shock.  But while this legislation is great news, there’s still some way to go.  These rules will only apply to EU citizens roaming within Europe, so if you’re travelling further afield you could still be stung with inflated roaming charges.But the real issue lies in the prices mobile operators are charging their subscribers for roaming.  Savvy mobile phone users are already looking at their options and choosing to use an international service that will offer significant cost savings on data and phone charges while abroad, compared to domestic providers.  This is going to be particularly important if travelling beyond the EU where there is currently little bill shock protection and prices are higher.”

The new changes will see data roaming charges slashed to around 56p per MB whilst in Europe and if you venture a little further a text message when you get near to a £40 limit or any other pre-agreed limit and if you want to exceed it.c Calls will also be capped at 29p per minute and whilst this may be good news I’m sure that the networks,who make quite a bit of money from roaming chagres will put up the cost on domestic charges, tariffs and the cost towards handsets might take a hit.  The EU said that from 2014 customers would be able to choose their mobile networks upon arrival in a country, or signing up to a contract before leaving which hopefully won’t make things that more complicated for people.

Here’s a press release:

Digital Agenda: New price caps for mobile data roaming expected to save families over €200 each year and business travellers over €1000.

From 1 July 2012, the European Union’s mobile roaming regulation will be extended to include price caps for data downloads which will mean significant savings for those using maps, email and social networks when travelling. For a typical businessperson travelling in the EU this will mean savings of over €1000 per year. A family taking an annual holiday in another EU country can expect to save at least €200. (Full details of these data roaming case studies are in Annex II).

Overall, the improved EU roaming regulation – taking into account calls, SMS and data – will deliver consumers savings of 75% across a range of mobile roaming services, compared to 2007 prices. This year Europeans will spend around €5 billion on roaming services, a saving of around €15 billion compared to what the same services would have cost under 2007 prices.

Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes said: ”By putting price caps on data we have created a roaming market for the smart phone generation. More than that, we have ended the rip-offs familiar to anyone who has used a mobile phone while travelling abroad. I am pleased that year after year the European Union is putting money back in the pockets of citizens.”

“From 2014 we are also delivering a permanent solution to the roaming issue, something better than any price cap. We are bringing full competition to this market by making it easy to choose a separate roaming provider. If you can find a better offer compared to your standard contract you’ll be able to do it in a few simple swipes, just like when you choose a wifi network.”
In recent years consumers have benefitted from EU action to create a strong safety net of price caps and guarantees against “bill shocks”, and more competition which drives the market to further cut prices. The latest Commission proposals have also moved from draft to implementation in record time of less than one year (see IP/11/835).

From summer 2012: data downloads get much cheaper

Since 2007 the EU has placed price caps on calling and texting. Now data is being brought under the same system. The new prices caps, which will enter into force on 1 July 2012, are:

• 29 cents per minute to make a call, plus VAT
• 8 cents per minute to receive a call, plus VAT
• 9 cents to send a text message, plus VAT
• 70 cents per Megabyte (MB) to download data or browse the Internet whilst travelling abroad (charged per Kilobyte used), plus VAT.

Downloading data previously cost more than € 4 per Megabyte from many operators in July 2009 – now those prices will be cut by around six times. By 2014, as prices are cut further, the maximum cost of downloading data will be just 20 cents per Megabyte, plus VAT, a saving of 90% on many current rates.

Operators are free to offer cheaper rates. Price caps are a maximum level, acting as a safeguard, and competition should drive them lower.

Bill shock: better information when travelling outside the EU

To help avoid “bill shock” from 1st July 2012, people travelling outside the EU will get a warning text message, email or pop-up window when they are nearing €50 of data downloads, or their pre-agreed level.

Consumers will then have to confirm they are happy to go over this level in order to continue their data roaming.

This extends the alert system currently in place within the EU.

From 2014: competition will deliver cheaper roaming

From 1 July 2014, customers will have the option to shop around for a separate mobile roaming provider – either through a contract or by choosing a provider at their destination, like they would choose a Wi-Fi network. All with the same number.

Mobile network operators in visited countries will have an incentive to offer such services at rates close to national prices, on the basis of their own low national network costs. As people’s mobile data use intensifies, and they want to use their devices anywhere, any time, many travelers are likely to find this Wi-Fi – like option very attractive. These forces will reinforce each other to create lower prices and better network coverage.

Price caps will stay in place until 30 June 2017 as an extra safety net for consumers.

The wider policy context

The Roaming regulation is one piece in a much bigger technology puzzle. In particular, it is about ending unnecessary constraints on economic growth and positioning Europe at the front of the data revolution. Many people would use more smart phones abroad for wider services – such as health care, purchasing, banking, finding their way or socialising – if data were cheaper.

To have the affordable internet at your finger tips is important, but not enough; therefore the European Commission is also taking concrete action on a number of areas:

• data protection,
• Cloud computing,
• e-Identification,
• number portability,
• the right to 12 month mobile contracts and
• lowering mobile termination rates.

All these actions aim to build a complete digital Single Market with consistent rules, so Europeans can easily enjoy great content, on all their devices wherever they are.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Yet another app that was doing very well over on iOS has found Google Play as a good place to rank up extra downloads. The app will give you an insight in to all things car related plus videos,news and all the latest reviews on cars that have appeared on the show. You’ll notice that the app has been published by BBC Worldwide and as such there will be adverts floating around. Full features of the app are as follows:

- All the latest news, rants and opinions from Top Gear
- Videos and photo galleries
- Behind the scenes exclusives from the team
- Your favourite clips from the Top Gear show
- Previews of upcoming Top Gear stuff
- The latest cars driven and reviewed

It can be downloaded now from Google Play or with a quick scan of the QR code below. Android 2.0 and up is needed as is 2.5 MB of space

What re QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Looking for a house to buy has just got that little easier and fun with the new app from Halifax. It takes the traditional house finding app and adds Augmented Reality to make it a little more interactive. You’ve got your usual tools to help find a property for sale such as distance,price and type but you can also see an estimate of what your repayments will be based on your current finance situation.  The AR side of it will use your devices camera to give you a selection of properties to choose from and when you tap the screen on a particular offering you’ll get a detailed description with pictures and what you might be looking at paying each month.

The app is also pretty comprehensive in all of the information provided, you can even get details on the local area such as the distance of Schools and public transport. Information about the property can even be stored in the app when viewing, pictures and notes can be put down so you can build a detailed picture of what you’re looking at . So far it looks good but the homescreen is a little cluttered ,apart from that it is well worth a try if you are in the process of buying or just want to have a nose around.

The app uses details from findaproperty.com and the developers behind it have also brought the Premier Inn and BT Phone book to Android and they go by the name of grapple.  Grab the app for free via Google Play or scan the QR code below.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The adverts during this week’s Britain’s Got Talent will be the first to offer users the chance to ‘Shazam’ them. ITV and the music tagging company will first see Pepsi and what was once a UK iconic company, Cadbury offering interactive adverts to viewers.

Pepsi will be giving away tickets to summer music festivals and Cadbury’s will be putting up tickets to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 games. Britain’s Got Talent will be on ITV 1 this coming Saturday.

[Business Wire ]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Reports are doing the rounds that Samsung are pushing out Ice Cream Sandwich to the Galaxy Note. According to SamFirmware users in Germany are getting first digs at the official release. Just tried updating my Note and nothing as of yet but hopefully this is the start of a Worldwide push to get the rather brilliant device running the latest version of Android.

If anyone does see the update pleas e get in touch.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you need or want a 32GB memory card for your phone or other devices Amazon is the place to be as they are selling them on the cheap. One that might be of interest is a  SanDisk microSDHC 32GB Card at a very cheap £16.95. Not that bad and if you want one all you need to do is pop over to Amazon here  and do all the usual clicks and data input or you could try Play. com

[Thanks Ant for the heads up]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

This is an update for all you Android Beam NFC enabled phone owners out there. You’ll now be able to share all manner of things just by a quick tap of your phones such as videos and tags. This will make Shazam just that little bit better than it already is. Looking forward to their tie up with ITV which will see us interect with content too.

Get the update from Google Play .

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Virgin Media aren’t known for stocking the latest handsets come release but it looks like this is one they won’t be catching up with. They have confirmed that they will be stocking the next Galaxy ,it’s up on their coming soon page and if you’re a Virgin Media customer I’m sure a big sigh of relief was let out when you heard the news. Virgin Media do offer some pretty decent deals to customers of their TV and internet service so it will be interesting to see what they offer with the Galaxy S III.

No details on price or release dates yet but being a customer myself, if I do opt for the S III i’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this one.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The Samsung Galaxy S III is being released in just over a few weeks and one of the features that will come as an exclusive is Flipboard,very much like Google Currents. It takes content from a website and makes it in to a glossy magazine type layout. On the Flipboard website it says that it is heading to Android soon, you can pop your email address in and they will let you know nearer the time.

Now as you’d expect it hasn’t taken long for someone to get hold of the APK file and as you’d expect they have released it for all to download, you can grab it from XDA Developers here or if you’re reading from a mobile device download it direct via this link .  It is working fine on my Galaxy Note and other users who have various other devices, the One X and S II report all is well.  So, Google Currents or Flipboard?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

London 2012 is fast approaching and what with the new Galaxy S III being the official phone you’re going to see posters and stuff all over for it, if you haven’t got one yourself by then. You may though see a few athletes with them  paying for stuff with a wave of their phone. NFC has been a little on the slow side here in the UK and it is hoped that this will help push the mobile paying technology further in to the public domain.

Mobile payment services enabled by NFC technology are gaining momentum around the world. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is the ideal device to showcase the ease and convenience of Visa’s mobile payment application at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Come London 2012 there will be an estimated 140,000 NFC terminals up and down the country letting you pay for items up to the value of £15 by just moving your phone over the terminal you’ll find in various places, most of them food and drink related. Google are also looking to get their payment service rolled out here in the UK and O2 have just pushed out their O2 Wallet service but still along way to go in terms of making it a popular way to pay for things.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

WordPress Android

If like me you use the WordPress app to post content to your blog whilst on the go you’ll be pleased to know that there has been a nice update to the app which is now live over on Google play. All of the features should make your blogging experience that little bit better when not in front of your PC or Laptop.  Here’s what is new:

1. Autosave timer while editing posts. Every 60 seconds the post will be autosaved.
2. Full support for editing comments
3. Added support for setting the width of linked images
4. All new WordPress.com reader. Navigating posts is much faster and you can add comments to posts that you are reading. You can also share the post to other Android apps!
5. UI improvements
6. New app icon
7. Reliability improvements
8. Translation updates

To get the update all you need to do is visit Google Play or scan the QR code below.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If the Galaxy S III is going to be your next phone and you’re looking for it off contract Amazon are now taking pre-orders. Of course if you’re looking to get it by signing a contract you can grab it from many retailers, see here for some of the places you could pick it up. Advantages of a sim free phone are of course any updates will come direct from Samsung, you won’t have to sit around and wait for a network to ‘test’ the new software.

T-Mobile are also now taking details, no tariffs as of yet so they are still a little behind the likes of O2 and Carphone Warehouse. Dial-a-phone have a pretty good deal going, 900 mins,unlimited texts and 500MB of data connected to Vodafone all for £31 per month with no charge towards the device and you can order that via their website. They also seem to be offering pretty good deals on other handsets too. Either way, visit Amazon here,or  take a look here for other ways to pre-order one.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

A pretty good app this and for those who are yet to get a grip on what you’re using each month in terms of calls, texts and data this should help. The app has been made by Carphone Warehouse, as you can see and if you buy a handset from them expect to have it downloaded helping you keep on top of your monthly allowance.

I have to say it actually looks pretty good. You’ll see from the screen shots that not only does it show what you’re getting through but when, so for example the app will tell you how many texts you sent on any given day. Calls can be presented by type, mobile,landline etc in a nice little pie graph. The other bonus is the app is very easy to use and get around. On starting up the app you’ll be asked your monthly allowance and when you want to be alerted that you’re getting close to your limit. Both PAYG and Pay Monthly customers can take advantage of what the app has to offer.

Get it from Google Play , it’s free.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

For all you seasoned and budding developers out there Apps World might well be on your list of gatherings to attend and if you’re an Android developer Droid World will be just the place to be and with  a FREE exhibition pass you will have access to the Developer Zone workshops, the Droid World event and the exhibition with over 150 exhibitors,all you need to do is cover the cost of the journey.

Leading Android developers, Google Android representatives, handset manufacturers and operators will be appearing on Apps World’s Droid World stage this year, delivering valuable developer advice and ideas around the world’s most popular smartphone OS. We’ll be examining the latest issues around app monetisation and discoverability in the Android App Market. As well as discussing the rapid development of location technology and the opportunities it represents for innovative app development.

Some of the industry’s most successful developers will there to shed light on their creative, technical and business processes in open, interactive workshops where attendees will be encouraged to suggest discussion topics, debate and collaborate. Anyone with an interest in developing apps for Android, and a desire to connect with some of the leading professionals in the field, is encouraged to attend this free-to-attend Apps World conference track.

To find out more head over to the website, you’ll be looking for this page here from where you can register to go. If you’re going let me know.

Droid World at Apps World – Have your say!

This year the team at Apps World bringing one of Europe’s leading apps industry events, Apps World, back to London in October, with a brand new venue and more free-to-attend developer sessions than ever before.

We want to make sure we’re covering the issues and topics that are important to you, so this is a call out for your suggestions on who and what you’d like to see on the Droid World and Developer agenda. Send your suggestions to rachel (@) sixdegs.com.

Free-to-attend Developer Zone

Returning to Apps World again this year, offering tons of expert advice and practical instruction on making a living from building apps.

Find out more info at the Developer Zone here.

Free-to-attend Droid World – new for 2012

Leading Android developers, Google Android representatives, handset manufacturers and operators will be appearing on the Droid World stage, delivering valuable developer advice and ideas around the world’s most popular platform. Find out more info here.

Have your say – what do you want to see at Apps World 2012?

• What topics do you want to see on the Developer Zone and Droid World agendas?

• What kinds of challenges do you face in your current job?

• What do you want to take away from the event?

To register for this year’s free to attend Developer Zone and Droid World track please register here.

For further information check out www.apps-world.net/europe.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Orange are dishing out £10 of free credit with selected PAYG phones over on their website. They may have the same deal in store but if you can’t get in to town you’ll find a very handy link to their online shop below.

Included in the list of phones you’ll find the Orange branded range of handsets, the San Francisco,Stockholm  and even the Xperia Ray going on the cheap too.    Before they all sell out take a look at all the  phones available here.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you have been after the Galaxy Note but waited for some cheaper tariffs to pop up you might be hard pressed to find deals as good as these from dial a phone.  You can pick it up for £21.50 with 200 mins, a load of text messages and 500MB of data and there is no up front cost for the device.

I know that we have just come off the back of some new phone being announced but if you’ve wanted a Galaxy Note,you’ve wanted a Galaxy Note. There are also a host of other tariffs to choose from including one that costs £26 per month with 200 mins, unlimited texts,750MB of data, no cost towards the device and £70 cashback.

To take a look at these and others head over to dial a phone here.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Print is fast becoming a thing of the past and more and more of us are using our phones and tablets to access various content from newspapers to books and you can even keep a dictionary close to hand with The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, the full print edition in an app. After playing with it for a while it looks as though the developers have spent a lot of time working on it, it is very good and very easy to get around which makes it a joy to use.

The first download from Google Play is only 2.8MB but you will be downloading around another 500MB, this is to download everything down to your device so you don’t have to be connected and wait for a network to deliver what you want. As the app isn’t packed with too many settings options and tabs you can easily get on with searching and learning. If you read a print version of a dictionary all you get is words but the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary also gives you spoken words in British English and American English and options to favourite

There are also some numbers for you to get your head around but they are what makes this such a fantastic app for those who are looking to learn or brush up on their English. There are 184,500 words, phrases and meanings,take a look at  57,000 synonyms and opposites,83,000 collocations,95,000 extra example sentences and 1300  illustrated words. I think you’ll agree that is pretty comprehensive.

Don’t be put off by the size of the app , if you have Android 2.2 or above it can be  saved to your SD card.  customisation options are also available,  background colour, font size, and search results can all be changed to make it suit you. What information is displayed can also be adjusted,hide IPA, example sentences, pictures, synonyms and with a simple tap they will all appear again. If you want, words can also be saved as favourites giving you quick access to words that you may for example struggle with.

The app will cost you £18.06 but it’s worth every penny. So enough of me going on, head over to Google Play and download it or scan the QR code below. You’ll also find a host of other apps from Paragon Software and they can all be seen here.

What are QR codes?      

www.androiduknewsetc.com

http://www.androiduknewsetc.com/?p=21093   They sure do develop some pretty fine apps and this one sits up there with the best of them.Today doubleTwist have made their Alarm Clock app even better. One of the features in this update was also released as a standalone app on Tuesday which you can see here. Other updates for Alarm Clock [...]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

 

They sure do develop some pretty fine apps and this one sits up there with the best of them.Today doubleTwist have made their Alarm Clock app even better. One of the features in this update was also released as a standalone app on Tuesday which you can see here. Other updates for Alarm Clock include:

1. Dock support.
2. Sunrise alarm option.
3. “Keep screen on” setting.
4. Swiss Clock live wallpaper.
5. System ringtones now appear in list of alarm Sounds.
6. Option to turn vibration on or off, independent of system vibration setting.
7. Numerous interaction improvements (e.g. dismissing alarm in various scenarios is easier).

If you haven’t already got the app it will cost £1.99 but it is more than worth it so head over to Google Play or scan the QR code below.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

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Men In Black 3 is heading to the cinema soon and it will also be heading to  Android very soon too. The above video gives you an idea as to what Gameloft have in stall for you. Not my cup of tea to be honest so won’t be downloading it to my device. It is expected to be released come May the 17th so just under 2 weeks to go.  It’ll be a free download but with the option to make in app purchases for weapons,unlock levels and all that sort of thing.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Another update to Adobe Player has been pushed out today and among the usual security and stability improvements Ice Cream Sandwich compatibility has been addressed. If you’re not doing much and fancy reading the full release notes you can, here The update comes in at just under 5MB.

Get the update from Google Play

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Come the next round of the Antiques Roadshow on the BBC in September you will be able to interact with the series via what they are calling a ‘companion experience’ that will see you take part in trying to guess what people have dug out of their garages and lofts are worth. You’ll be playing along with other viewers and at the end see how you ranked with your guesses against others.  There will also be in-depth content available about the items being shown giving you a little history about where it came from.

A closed trial was also carried out during the Frozen Planet series, a brilliant production that makes the license fee worth paying for, something that can’t be said about the ‘we have nothing else to show so we’ll stick this on’ Antiques Roadshow. For the Frozen Planet the trial gave those that took part more information on the animals featured and their surrounding habitat.

The companion experience will be made available on your mobile, computer and via the Red Button. The picture above is taken from the BBC website that explains in more detail about what to expect. As you can see they used an iPad but I hope this isn’t going to be another iOS thing, you all pay the license fee  so you should be able to take part regardless of what OS you use.

[BBC]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Just in case you’re looking at getting the Galaxy S III here are a few places you’ll be able to pick it up. Carphone ran the best offer giving the first 1000 people a free Samsung Tab which was revealed yesterday evening but as you’d expect was sold out pretty quickly.  Below are a few of the places you can get hold of one and a few videos showing you what all the fuss is about.

Clove – £549 all in and sim free, you can pre-order it now from their website

Dialaphone are selling it on various tariffs in blue and white. See all deals here

e2save have a selection of deals from all the networks and they can be looked at here

mobiles.co.uk are also taking pre-orders here

Carphone have it up but the tablet offer was sold out at just after 10am this morning but you can still get it on some pretty good deals via their website here but you still get a free 32GB SD card,an  Invisishield Screen Protector and a car charger.

Phones 4U are giving away £50 worth of free stuff too, see here for more details.

Three are in on the action too and you can get it on their One Plan from their website here.

Vodafone have a register for details page

O2 are also letting you pre-order it .

T-Mobile are also taking details from you,no pre-orders just yet but keep an eye on this part of their website and Orange are doing the same.

You can also watch the event if you want over on the Samsung Unpacked website . Unless something major comes our way we’ll leave the Galaxy S III posts and hopefully we’ll be getting one pretty soon to try out.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

TVCatchup.com now have a beta version for those of you with an Ice Cream Sandwich device. As before this is a beta version so whilst they want you to enjoy using the service there might be a few niggles to deal with. When you do get it be sure to leave feedback on what does and doesn’t work. You can download it here where you’ll also find details on how to leave comments so they can iron out any issues.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

No details on price or dates as of yet but T-Mobile have just popped an email out saying that they will be stocking the phone that has everyone talking this morning. I imagine that it will pop up in their coming soon page,  or they might have a landing page , either way keep an eye out on their website here.

I would also imagine that this will fall on their Full Monty plan which rivals Three with unlimited calls and texts and internet but you might be looking at £46 for that compared to Three’s £34 odd costing.  As soon as it goes up we’ll let you know.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Right, we all know what the Galaxy S III is all about and some of you are sure to be getting ready to buy it. Out of all the people who attended the event the launch yesterday evening only one person can grab our attention when it comes to his thoughts about a new device. So Brendan from Three has given us a very brief tour of the new phone from Samsung and of course you can pick it up from Three today. Keep an eye on their website here.

Now Brendan likes the look of it, what about you?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Three will be taking pre-orders for the new Galaxy device as of Friday the 4th of May. You’ll be able to pick it up on their brilliant One Plan which will see you get 2,000 minutes,5,000 texts and of course no limit when it comes to data all for £34 per month over 24 months and no cost upfront which isn’t bad. There is no live order page but you can register for updates here. As for when, the UK release has been marked for the 30th of May.

Vodafone will also be offering an exclusive of the 32GB variant for a month. No pre-order page just yet but that will more than likely be up tomorrow morning. Orange will also have it on offer as will O2 but as with others they haven’t released any details on timing or price but do have it on their coming soon page.

Phones 4U are also taking pre-orders and you can take a look at their website here where you’ll find details on tariffs plus they are giving away £50 of free stuff too.

Here’s the press release from Three who have been quick of the mark as usual.

Samsung Galaxy SIII – available to pre-order on Three from 4th May.

Samsung’s much anticipated smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy SIII, will be available to pre-order on Three from 4th May.

 

 

The Galaxy SIII will be available on The One Plan with all-you-can-eat data at £34 per month and with no upfront cost.

In addition, everyone that pre-orders the Samsung Galaxy SIII with Three before the 30th May will be automatically entered into a daily draw to win one of 26 brand new Samsung Smart TVs.

Nigel Field, director of devices at Three, said, “We can’t wait to bring Samsung’s amazing Galaxy SIII to Three, and we’re very proud to be one of their UK launch partners. With our high speed, award-winning network and market-leading all-you-can-eat data, we believe we can deliver the ultimate mobile internet experience to our customers with this phone.

“The Galaxy SII was one of the smartphones of 2011, and we’re expecting its successor, the Samsung Galaxy SIII, to be amongst 2012’s biggest mobile success stories.”

Customers can pre-order a Samsung Galaxy SIII by calling 0800 358 1799 from 9am tomorrow, or by visiting their local 3Store. They can register for updates and information about the Samsung Galaxy SIII at http://three.co.uk/SamsungGalaxy .

Pricing:

Samsung Galaxy SIII on The One Plan

£34 per month
No upfront cost

All-you-can-eat data
2000 any network minutes
5000 Three-to-Three minutes
5000 texts
Tethering includedENDS

 

 

For more information contact:

Gabriela Raison
e: Gabriela.Raison@3-monkeys.co.uk

Amy Ashworth
t:020 7009 3144
e: Amy.ashworth@3-monkeys.co.uk

 

About Three UK

Three is a communications company focused on bringing the benefits of the internet to mobile communications. We offer attractive pricing and give our customers the widest choice of ways to stay connected. To do this we’ve built an award-winning high-speed mobile broadband network. Three UK is a member of the HWL group of companies, which include 3G operations in Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Macau and Sweden.

Three facts about Three:

-     Three launched the UK’s first 3G high-speed mobile network offering national coverage for calls and texts, and has more than 97.5% population coverage for mobile internet services.

-     Three is the fastest growing network in the UK.

-     Three took first place in 8 out of 11 categories in the most recent YouGov Tablet Survey, and took top spot for 6 out of the 7 data categories in the most recent YouGov iPhone survey. Three is also came first in the most recent uSwitch Best Network awards. For more info visitwww.three.co.uk/awards

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Carphone warehouse have just let us know they will be stocking the Samsung Galaxy S3 and they have a big bonus for the first 1000 pre orders.Basically, get in first and you will get a free 10.1″ Tab ! as well as a car charger and screen protector, order from their site here

Other pre orders will also get a few bonuses, I’ve pasted the important parts of the press release below.

The first 1,000 customers to place pay monthly pre-orders online and on the phone (via the Carphone Warehouse call centre) will receive a FREE 10” Samsung Galaxy Tab (worth at least £399), InvisibleSHIELD™ screen protector (RRP £14.99) and in-car micro USB charger (RRP £14.99) – a combined value of £428.98.

All other customers who pre-order a device will receive a free Sandisk 32GB micro SD memory card (RRP normally £29.99), Invisishield Screen Protector (RRP £14.99) and in-car micro USB charger (RRP 14.99) –a combined value of £59.97. The addition of the Sandisk memory card will bring the combined memory capacity of the device to a massive 48GB, making it unlikely that even the most active users will be short on space to store their videos, pictures, music and favourite apps.

Click here to order.

Go go go!

www.androiduknewsetc.com

As you may be aware, Samsung have just announced their latest and greatest device.

They are still ‘revealing’ it in London as I type but below is the information you need!

A quick summary for you…

It launches end of May the 30th here in the UK and comes with:

• 4.8″ Super Amoled screen.
• 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad Processor.
• Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’
• Micro SD up to 64gb
• 16/32GB user memory.
• 2,100mAH battery.
• 8.6mm thick + 133 grams
• 1280×720 HD display.
• 8 Mp camera with 1080p video recording.
• 1.9 Mp front camera.
• ‘ S beam’ sharing.
• HSPDA+ for the UK
• Numerous features for camera and face recognition.
• Free 50GB of Dropbox Storage for 2 years.

Press release amd pictures below

SAMSUNG INTRODUCES THE GALAXY S IIIEffortlessly smart and intuitively simple – a new kind of smartphone

3 May 2012, London, UK – Samsung Electronics today announced the third generation Galaxy S, the Galaxy S III, a phone so intuitive that it is able to recognise your voice and understand your intention. Sleek and innovative, this latest smartphone is packed with enhanced intelligence to make everyday life easier: designed for humans and inspired by nature.

With the Samsung Galaxy S IIII, you can view content like never before on a 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display, whilst an 8MP camera and an 1.9MP front camera offer a variety of intelligent camera features and face recognition related options so you can capture all moments easily and instantly. The Samsung Galaxy S III is powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and full of intuitive technology, delivering a uniquely personalised mobile experience.

Andy Griffiths, Managing Director, Samsung UK and Ireland said: “Our aim with the Galaxy S III was to develop the best smartphone ever made, and by focusing on creating a unique user experience through superior hardware and enhanced usability we believe we have done just that. The device has been created by keeping in mind our daily needs and capabilities as human beings. Simple yet brilliant, the Galaxy S III is packed with smart features that enable it to understand and respond to our actions providing the most seamless, natural and human-centric mobile experience.”

Introducing Natural Interaction

The Galaxy S III’s main USP is that it enhances the interaction between the device and its owner. Smart enough to detect your face, voice and gestures, the Galaxy S III adapts to the individual user to provide a more convenient and natural user experience. With the innovative ‘Smart stay’ feature, the device recognises how you are using your phone – reading an e-book or browsing the web for instance – by using the front camera to identify your eyes; the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure.

With ‘S Voice,’ an advanced natural language user interface, the Galaxy S III listens and responds to your words. In addition to allowing information search and basic device-user communication, ‘S Voice’ provides powerful device control and commands. When your phone alarm goes off but you need a little extra rest, just tell the Galaxy S III “snooze” – and it snoozes. You can also use ‘S Voice’ to play your favorite songs, turn the volume up or down, send text messages and emails, organise your schedules, or automatically launch the camera and capture a photo – all through you speaking to the device.

In addition to recognising your face and voice, the Galaxy S III understands your motions. If you are messaging someone but decide to call them instead, simply lift your phone to your ear and ‘Direct call’ will dial their number. With ‘Smart alert,’ the Galaxy S III will catch any missed messages or calls; your phone will vibrate to notify missed statuses when picked up after being idle.

Easy and Instant Sharing

The Samsung Galaxy S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one person – it wants you to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of where you are. With the new ‘S Beam,’ the Galaxy S III expands upon Android™ Beam, allowing a 1GB movie file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB music file within two seconds by simply touching another Galaxy S III phone, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The ‘Buddy photo share’ function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all your friends pictured in an image directly from a camera or photo gallery.

With ‘AllShare Cast’, you can wirelessly connect your Galaxy S III to your television to immediately transfer smartphone content onto a larger display. ‘AllShare Play’ can be used to instantly share any files between your Galaxy S III and DLNA supported tablet, PC, and televisions regardless of the distance between the devices. The ‘Group Cast’ feature also allows you to share your screen among multiple friends on the same Wi-Fi network; you can make comments and draw changes at the same time with your co-workers, witnessing real-time sharing on your individual device.

Human-centric Design with Uncompromised Performance

The Galaxy S III not only has features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design, with a comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form. Inspired by nature, its design concept is the flow and movement of nature. The elements of wind, water and light are all evoked in the physical construct of the Galaxy S III. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional colour options at a later date.

Thanks to its 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, the Galaxy S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience. Samsung Mobile’s heritage Super AMOLED display even enhances to HD and 16:9 wider viewing angles. To ensure faster connectivity, the Galaxy S III offers Wi-Fi Channel Bonding which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth.

The Galaxy S III also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall user experience in entirely new ways. It introduces ‘Pop up play,’ a feature that allows you to play a video anywhere on your screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web. Its 8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that lets you capture moving objects easily without delay – the image you see is the picture you take.

With the ‘Burst shot’ function that instantly captures twenty continuous frames, and the ‘Best photo’ feature that selects the best of eight photographs for you, the Galaxy S III offers a more enhanced and memorable camera experience. HD video can be recorded even with the 1.9MP front facing camera, which you can use to capture a video of yourself. Improved backside illumination further helps to eliminate blur in photos that result from shaking, even under low lights.

Mobile payment is also accessible with the device through advanced Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The gaming experience is enhanced through ‘Game Hub’, providing access to numerous social games, whilst Video Hub brings users high quality TV and movies. Furthermore, Samsung Music Hub will offer a personal music streaming service. Game Hub, Video Hub and Music Hub will be introduced in select countries initially before being rolled out globally.

The Samsung Galaxy S III will be available in the UK from the Samsung Brand Store at Westfield

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Whilst we couldn’t make it tonight up to London due to commitments back home we are still able to bring you the event as it happens. Thanks to Land of Droid and Droidmatters.com you’ll be able to see everything as it happens. It all kicks off it just a couple of hours. We’ll have all the usual pictures and press releases as they come in too. The above picture also shows the expected release date.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

This one is fairly straight forward, it’s a live wallpaper of a Swiss clock and as you’d expect from doubleTwist, a good one at that. The app costs 99p and is live on Google Play now. Once downloaded all you need to do is tap the menu button, go to add,choose live wallpaper and select Swiss Clock. Once it has been set you can change the clock between day and night mode just by tapping on the screen.

If you have downloaded Alarm Clock by doubleTwist you’ll have no need to download this live wallpaper from them as the it will be released via the alarm clock app in a future update, if you can’t wait until then by all means crack on. Google Play is the place to be, you need Android 2.2 and up plus 1.6MB of space.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Rdio, another music streaming service has now launched here in the UK and you can pick up the app from Google Play now. There are two  subscription options , web only for £4.99 and to stream to your mobile  it will cost £9.99 which gets you unlimited streaming of the 15+ million songs.

Before you decide what way to go there is a free 7 day trial which you can sign up for here. It pretty much works the same as any other streaming service and the price isn’t that different either  ,Sony Music Unlimited is £9.99 as is Spotify for unlimited access so before you ditch one of those, the 7 day free trial will help you choose which is for you.

Here is what you’ll be getting for your money:

- Access to more than 15 million songs
- New albums added every week
- Carry your collection in your pocket
- Sync and play music when you’re offline
- Build unlimited playlists
- Search every single song, album, artist, playlist or user on Rdio

If you fancy giving it a go head over to Google Play, download the app and grab your free trial.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

It would be great if Google went the iTunes way of doing things and offered the chance to buy cards pre-loaded with credit on them so that everyone could use it as a way of buying content via Google Play. Until they do that you’re left with paying with a debit or credit card. If you are connected to Vodafone or T-Mobile here in the UK though you’ll now be able to purchase any content and charge it straight to your bill and for those of you that have signed a contract for use by the younger members of your household this might be something you don’t tell them about, we can all see the issues that might arise. Still a good thing if you’re not that confident having multiple companies holding on to your card details.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Some lucky people in Threlkeld, Cumbria are today getting their teeth in to a live 4G trial courtesy of Everything Everywhere. Whilst this won’t quell the  anger other networks have over  OFCOM’s  proposal to let them get a head start and be the first to offer the UK a 4G service at last customers will see the benefits of what 4G has to offer and try it out themselves.

The next leap in mobile technology here in the UK is also being backed by the Government who say that it is vital to the UK economy and expect it to bring jobs and business to many parts of the UK along with  a big chunk of cash for the Chancellor of the Exchequer.  Michael Gove MP cut the ribbon on this trial and seemed quite excited by it.

“Cumbria has unique needs due to its sparse population and long distances, which 4G LTE will help overcome. Cumbria’s schools and educational opportunities will be revolutionised by this technology.

Of course the  issues between the networks continue over who has the biggest portion of the pie and it won’t stop some saying that Three shouldn’t even be involved. OFCOM need to bash some heads together and get everything sorted out before this drags on longer than needs be, after all we will suffer in the long run and the Government needs some cash too.

[mobile news]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

N.O.V.A 3 is due to hit Google Play sometime this month and before it does you can take a peep at the above video showing you what to expect. I have to say it looks pretty good and I might even give it a go myself. You’ll get an assortment of  10 deadly weapons, 6 varied maps, 6 addictive game modes including  Free For All, Capture The Flag & Team Deathmatch and plenty of vehicles to run around in.

Check out the video and keep your eyes open for release dates and pricing.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The above picture sent in to GSMArena by a  Carphone Warehouse employee shows that the new phone from Samsung is already on internal systems of the independent retailer here in the UK. You’ll notice that there is no price attached but hopefully that will be revealed over the next few days. This is pretty much one of the very few things that has yet been confirmed about the device.

After a quick call to a friend who works there it seems that it has now been removed from the screen that staff use on the shop floor. He also said that he won’t be surprised to see an email sent out about it and says that is the exact reason staff don’t get told about product launches. Their ‘POS’ change, this is where they change posters and deals etc has been moved back to the 15th because of the launch.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Rest easy all you HTC Sensation owners that purchased your device via Orange, after a little wait it seems that the update to Ice Cream Sandwich is rolling out as we speak. Reader Patrick has been in touch to say he is at this very moment in the process of updating his phone. Those Orange Swapables may have caused an issue apparently so some have been told and it seems others have had it for a couple of weeks with no issues. Looking at the Orange UK  Twitter feed I found this:

Anyway, it’s here if you haven’t already got it and all you need to do is charge your phone up, back all those important bits up and head to Settings>About phone and hit the update tab. If you’ve got it let us know. Doesn’t even look as though Orange know what is going on.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

We’ve finally been able to get hold of a One X to play about with and Stuart will be spending a little time with it and dropping a review on the site very soon. A big thank you goes to Clove Technology for the loan and if you haven’t already, take a look at their site here where you can pick one up for £478.80 all in.

Below are a few pictures taken by Stuart on one of his bike rides deep in the Dorset countryside,a beautiful place.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Tomorrow we should all be able to get a look at the new Samsung Galaxy S III and whilst rumours are doing the rounds a screen protector may have just given us all an idea about the screen size of the new phone as found on here It  is too large for the 4.3-inch display and the same goes for the  4.7-inch HTC One X so we’re looking at something at least in the region of 4.8 inches. It also looks as though the S III will be slightly longer than the One X.

Only a day to go folks if you’re excited by it all!

www.androiduknewsetc.com

There are plenty of apps out there that can help you out when it comes to getting around on the national rail network and National Rail Enquiries have launched their own app. It pretty much does what all the others do, it gives you updates on timetables, plan a journey but there are also a few extras chucked in like progress tracking that enables you to see a trains location at any given point. Other features include wake alerts so if you nod off on a particular dull journey your phone will wake you up so you don’t miss your stop.

The app is free to download but you will find adverts and for a fiver you can get shot of them which is a little steep when you consider there are apps out there that do more or less the same thing for a few quid less,even free although  if you hate the adverts but like what the app offers you might want to pay to say goodbye to them.

The only way to find out is to download the app from Google Play so long as you have Android 2.2 and up with 1.6MB of data available.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

This is good news and for those of you that still use your phone whilst driving the fact you might kill someone may not be enough for you to stop so this might just do the trick.

In England and Wales 170,000 people a year are caught with their phones whilst driving but it appears a fine or points isn’t enough so being refused cover or having 20% slapped on your premium will hopefully make you think twice. The refusal of cover might be a rare occurrence but a great way to combat the problem of people texting, talking or even posting updates to social networking sites. A few weeks back my local paper snapped lots of selfish people chatting away on their phones at one of the towns busiest junctions and put their mugs up on the Internet here.

[which]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The HTC One X seems to be dogged by a few issues at the moment and Three UK have today pushed out an update which should address those issues. The update is being pushed out OTA so need for wires and computers, all you need to do is go to Settings>About Phone and tap the update button.

No idea how big the update is but you might want to have your battery full and all those important files backed up. Yesterday there seemed to be an update being pushed out to unlocked HTC One X devices in various parts of Europe ,sjcrows who follows us on Twitter advised us of the update yesterday evening. It appears that a few battery issues are being addressed, again.

If you see anything else in the update do tell all.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

If you happen to be picking up a  Galaxy Note,Nexus or Galaxy S II from Phones 4U you’ll be able to pick up a pair of tickets to watch some football action at London 2012. This rather nice little deal has run since the end of March and closes on the 15th of May so only a few weeks left to take advantage of the promotion.  All you need to do is follow these instructions once you have your hands on a spanking new phone from Samsung:

1. Connect to the internet – either via your newly purchased Galaxy Device (through your network provider or over WIFI) or via a computer;
2. Visit: here  and follow directions to the “London 2012 Ticket Promotion” page;
3. Enter the IMEI number of your new Galaxy Device;
4. Enter all of the required contact information; and
5. Indicate, from the list of available matches, the date and venue for the football match which you would like to attend.

The matches are being played all over the UK, from the Millennium Stadium in  Cardiff right up to Hampden Park in  Glasgow and others in between.  So if you’re after a Galaxy device nd fancy watching some Olympic football head straight over to Phones 4U now.  They have also got a registration page up for the Galaxy S 3 which I doubt very much will be chucked in to the mix but you never know…..they may just be offering something else when they sell it.

If you get to go to Coventry, bet a few of you have been sent there in the past, you can also download the Coventry 2012 football app that aims to keep you fully updated with everything going on there., here from Google Play.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Sky Go was launched not that long ago and it caused a bit of a stir when many of you couldn’t actually get to use it. Currently only a few devices including the HTC Sensation and Galaxy S II are able to run the app but lots of people with other Android handsets felt a little left out and that included Ice Cream Sandwich users.

If you have ICS running on your device or a Galaxy Nexus or Note you’ll soon be able to run the app. It has been said though that devices with HDMI out capabilities will still be left out of the action because it will breach their broadcasting contract. Sky haven’t been that quick with the roll out for Android but in their defence they do have to keep up with the never-ending change in screens, the question being will they be able to keep up?

[techradar]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

O2 have put together a little promotion It’s called Diamond SIM and is in celebration of the Queens Jubilee!  They will be giving away two prizes of £1,000 each day in May.  To be eligible for one of the day’s prizes all you need to do is activate or top up a SIM card with credit throughout May. If you want to be in with a chance just head over to the O2 website here and pick up a free sim card.

For those that are also looking for a handset you can pick up the Galaxy Ace in black and purple or the Galaxy Y and O2 will give you 50% extra credit for free, every month for 3 months, when you top up £15 each month. You can find out more here on this deal.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

LG haven’t had great success with their smartphones as of late, be they running Android or Windows but with the Android platform doing Samsung lots of good and Android becoming more and more popular LG have said that they will be giving more focus to Google’s OS. They will keep looking at Windows as an option with research and development. The boss of Microsoft is due to meet with LG later in May and that will no doubt be to try to salvage something and get Windows back in the frame but LG will be trying to emulate their South Korean rival Samsung who now ship more devices than anyone else, knocking Nokia off the top spot where they sat for 14 years or so.

Having never owned an LG phone I can’t confirm what others say but still, hearing what I do there won’t be much chance of that happening.  One thing that does put me off is their warranty.

[korean herald]

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Attention all you who own an ASUS Transformer Prime as you might just be seeing an update being pushed out that takes your swanky tablet up to build No.IML74K.WW_epad-9.2.1.21-20120413 . Reader Richard gave us the heads up via Twitter and has some good news, all seems to be a little more stable after the update, in fact that couldn’t be further from the truth as Richard puts it like this:

The TF101 is no more stable after the latest update, build no IML74K.WW_epad-9.2.1.21-201204

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Infinite Dreams have a bunch of great titles on Google Play and this looks set to be yet another hit for them One of may favourites at the moment is Jelly Defense, a game well worth checking out. The above teaser is for their next project called Shoot The Zombirds, it’s Shoot the Birds but with a Zombie element to it. They hope to have it out on Google Play very soon and hopefully we’ll get an early look. In the meantime check out the video above and we’ll keep you posted when we here more.  You can also take a look at all their titles over on Google Play

Gliwice, Poland – Infinite Dreams, award-winning mobile games publisher has revealed today the first official teaser trailer for the forthcoming release of Shoot the Zombirds, the sequel of the awaited by fans and hugely successful game Shoot the Birds.

Do you remember Pumpkin Boy? Last year he was protecting little Pumpkids from the evil birds.Now, that the Pumpkids have grown up a bit, the undead birds are after them once again. Teaser trailer below gives a small taste of what you can expect from the Infinite Dreams next project.

Shoot the Zombirds teaser: http://youtu.be/SfZOzNSk99Y  

Soon players all over the world will have the chance to dive into the new and absorbing game of bird and zombie shooting. Both at the same time! The main goal of the forthcoming Shoot the Zombirds release is to defend little Pumpkids against the demonic hordes of undead birds.

With eye-catching gorgeous graphics and zombie themed story, Shoot the Zombirds will deliver quick action gameplay and intuitive control scheme. The game already hits beta status and soon will be released on the Google Play and the Apple App Store.

 

Infinite Dreams Inc. is a game development studio located in Gliwice, Poland. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, the company develops top quality games for a broad range of digital platforms such as iOS, Android, Mac OS, Windows Phone, Symbian and beyond. It’s focus is set on high quality,innovative and addictive applications. As a result, games developed by Infinite Dreams have already been downloaded more than 20.000.000 times worldwide

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The next Samsung Galaxy smartphone is due to be announced on the 3rd May 2012. The Samsung Galaxy S II was a major winner and would have helped Samsung reach the top spot in mobile sales and their next Samsung Galaxy is sure to be no different. Carphone,Vodafone and O2 are already touting for your business and e2save are no different, you’ll be able to pre-register your interest  here and place your order once the phone becomes available

They’ve even jumped on the rumour mill with their spec list too but being part of Carphone they must know something and they have gone for  a lightning fast dual-core processor, 4.6 inch Super AMOLED Plus HD touchscreen, 12 megapixel camera, and a 1280X720 resolution. Only a few days to find out.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Not sure how long they have been available but if you’re a Harry Potter fan and prefer to read your books in a digital format now you can. They can’t be  directly downloaded from Google Play, Harry Potter books can only be purchased by visiting the PotterMore store. When you have purchased your books just link the relevant Google account and they’ll be added to your Google Library.

The site also says that any device running Android 1.5 or higher will be compatible,some devices are listed here. Prices start at £4.99 or you can buy the whole collection for £38.64. To sign up and start downloading visit this link.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

 Chances are that most if not all of you that are reading this have in the past had ownership of a Nokia phone and you could even be holding a Samsung device in your hand right now. This might not come as much of a surprise to many out there but after Nokia seeing their stock turned to junk status even more bad news comes in the form of Samsung and their never ending march on the smartphone market which has kicked Nokia off the top spot which was previously suspected a few weeks ago.

The South Korean firm are now the biggest seller of mobile phones ending 14 years of Nokia dominance by shipping 93.5 million devices compared to Nokia’s still impressive 82.7 million. Samsung have also reported a huge rise in profits, £2.8bn in the quarter ending 31 March, up 81% on last year.  Here in the UK Samsung hold 28% of the smartphone market all on its own and is fast catching up with Apple  if they already haven’t overtaken them.

The Galaxy range of phones will be the reason for this mass market takeover, the very popular Galaxy S II will be one reason as will the Galaxy Note which had a pretty poor reception from the ‘bigger sites’ but has proved to be very much in demand.  Of course all eyes will again be focused on Samsung next week at the launch of their new Galaxy device.  All the above will also be good news for Google and Android alike.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

We’ve had an email telling us about Peppa Pig Happy Mrs Chicken . It appears to have been in Google Play for sometime with quite a few downloads to boot. This is defiantly one for the Children. My good Wife being a Nanny, her phone is full of things like this, She has a folder full of games and puzzles and this app will no doubt take up home there too.

The app has been a huge success on iOS devices and by the looks of things it will do just the same here on Android.  Featuring Peppa Pig and her family plus all the familiar music and sound effects this app is sure to delight all Peppa fans, you can grab it from Google Play for £1.99 and comes with the following interactive  games:

MUDDY PUDDLES Peppa Pig loves to splash in puddles and now you can too! – Play as either Peppa or George against one of their friends. Be the first to jump in as many muddy puddles as possible.

HAPPY MRS CHICKEN is based on the Nintendo DS mini-game and is directly inspired by a game that Peppa plays in the popular children’s TV series. The player can make Happy Mrs Chicken lay eggs and these eggs then hatch into chicks and scurry to either side of the screen.

CHICKEN COOP involves sending different coloured chicks to their correctly coloured homes and includes a mode against the clock.

SEED AND MAZE is a maze-style game that involves the player dropping a seed trail to guide the chicks home through a variety of 6 mazes.

STICKER BOOK – Collect virtual stickers along the way and decorate a ‘sticker book’ with many different items and characters.

If you haven’t already got it you can by heading over to Google Play. Android 1.5 and up is needed plus 26MB of space.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Another app update to get your teeth in to this evening and it comes courtesy  of Skype, the brilliant app that helps you keep in touch with friends and family near and far. Some of you will be getting the most out of it if you’re lucky enough to be on a particular network and have an unlimited data plan.

This round of updates bring a restyled instant messaging view,video rotation support for more devices although they aren’t listed and on start up the app should get going that little bit quicker.

All you need to do is head over to Google Play here or scan the QR code below to get the update.

What are QR codes?

www.androiduknewsetc.com

Receipt snapping app Shopitize has seen an update today and will now add a few more features that should make the experience that bit better.  The app is still in the development stage and the developers are looking for your opinion so they can make it a lot better for you. If you haven’t already given the app a whirl follow the link below and try it out. For those that have already got it the update brings the following improvements:

1. • Receipt editing (date, retailer, tags, total & delete) when on-line;
2. • Receipt image view when on-line;
3. • Sort & filter Shopping Reminder list;
4. • Various performance improvements;

You’ll find it over on Google Play.

What are QR codes?

.

www.androiduknewsetc.com

The HTC One V has gone up for sale via Three and although it comes in as a cheaper alternative to the One X it is still a great little device. A few of the features include a 1GHz processor, 4GB of internal storage with 512Mb of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera to the back and a fairly decent 3.7 inch screen not forgetting Beats Audio, 25GB of storage from Dropbox and Ice Cream Sandwich.

Here’s the press release from Three…..

HTC One V – available now on Three. The HTC One V is now available on Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go from all Three Stores and online at three.co.uk. If you’re looking for great all-round performance and the latest technology at an affordable price, look no further.The HTC One V is packed with high-end features that make everyday tasks easier and more enjoyable. Its amazing 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash, plus HD video, means you’re always ready to capture the moment, even in low light.With a powerful 1GHz single-core processor, browsing and switching between apps is smooth and seamless; you’ll enjoy great viewing on the 3.7” WVGA Super LCD screen, and with Beats Audio™ technology you can be sure of authentic sound too. The HTC One V runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and features a stylish, iconic design, which is less than 9mm thick.Sylvia Chind, head of handsets at Three, said, “If you’re looking for an affordable package but you don’t want to compromise on the smartphone, then I’d certainly recommend the HTC One V on Three. Our fast HSPA+ network combined with the One V will have you conquering the mobile internet in no time, and of course, with Three, you’ll never have to worry about paying more for data than you planned.”The HTC One V is available with no upfront cost on Three from £23 a month on the Essential Internet 300 plan with no surprise data bills. Guaranteed.The handset is also available on Pay As You Go for £219.99. All in One 15 costs £15 and gives 30-day access to all-you-can-eat data along with 300 any-network minutes and 3,000 texts. Or All in One 25 costs £25 and offers 500 minutes, 3,000 texts and all-you-can-eat data for a 30-day period.Key features:- 3.7” WVGA Super LCD display- Authentic sounds with Beats Audio™ technology- Amazing 5 megapixel camera with HD video- Exclusive 25GB of online storage from Dropbox (free for 24 months)- 1GHz single-core processor- 4GB internal memory- Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)- Less than 9mm thick

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The Carphone Warehouse Appys were back this year and last night the awards ceremony took place. In all  there were 12 categories to vote in from health to news including NHS Direct Sky News and many more. My votes are in the picture above. Some of you that placed your votes would have walked away with some pretty decent prizes in their weekly draw.  The winners are right ‘after the break’………

BBC News take the best news and weather app.

Sky Sports News hit the back of the net with the best sports app.

NHS Direct take the best health and well being app.

YouTube pick up awards for the best entertainment and music app.

Facebook take the social app award

Photoshop snaps the best photo and video app

Google Maps wins best travel app

Angry Birds gets voted as the best game app

Groupon gets picked out for best money saving app

Dominos takes delivery of the best food and cooking app

eBay is voted best in the shopping and fashion category

Some of the choices are a bit on the dubious side, I would have expected Vouchercloud to be top dog over Groupon and the YouTube win for music, Tunein should have had that one don’t you think?

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They have had this in testing for quite a while now and at last it has been officially released to the public and you don’t have to be a O2 customer to use the service. Shopping via our phones is soon going to be how things are done and this is the biggest step any mobile network has taken to bring what could be described as a shopping catalogue to your phone.

You’ll find offers from some of the biggest names, Play.com,Tesco,Moss and many many more. Money is loaded via a registered bank account or debit card and you can move money across and back when you want and the money appears in either O2 Wallet or your bank account the same day so no sitting around and waiting for it. This service will be free of charge up until June when O2 will introduce a £1 charge for faster payments but normal transfers of up to 4 days will be free.

The app will also let you send and receive money from an individual in the form of a money message, think Barclays Pingit. Either enter their mobile number or choose them from your contact list and as long as they are signed up to O2 Wallet they will get a money message appearing not long after you send it and funds will be added to their balance and vice versa. There will be a .charge of 15p for this but for the first six months you can send as many as you want with no charge and receiving or requesting a Money Message is free. NFC doesn’t yet play a part phone wise but you can have a physical card too so that you can withdraw cash from an ATM which will carry the Visa logo and pay for things at contactless pay points up to the value of £15.

When it comers to shopping you have the option to search for a specific product,retailer or you can scan a barcode and O2 Wallet will search for the product you’ve scanned. The thing I love about the shopping part of this app is when you go to pay for a product the app takes you through to the retailers website and fills in your details automatically, this was one of the tests we had to do on the trial and they even gave us some money to shop with and saves time filling in delivery details.

If you fancy signing up and giving it a go you can do so here on the O2 Wallet sign up page, where you’ll also find some very handy Q&A’s about the service. There is also an app, that can be downloaded via Google Play. It will need Android 2.2 + and 3MB of initial download space will be required.  Along with the app you also log in to your account via your laptop / computer where you can manage your account, add funds or change your details.

It will be very interesting to see where O2 take this in the future.

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Yesterday Zynga announced that the  global availability of ZombieSmash! for Android devices is coming this week via Google Play.  ZombieSmash! is an un-dead themed castle defense game featuring Joey, the only human survivor , and pits players against a herd of writhing, unrelenting zombies. To claim victory, players must flick and smash zombies into little pieces so just your normal Zombie bashing way of doing things.

To celebrate the launch, they  had some fun  at Google. HQ and turned the 13 ft. Android statue into a zombie,see the above video and below is what you can expect from the game itself:

Zombie Smash! Features

ZombieSmash! features over 30 upgrades and special weapons including asteroids, wrecking balls and liquid nitrogen that can be used alone or in combination to smash the attacking zombies. The game also includes sophisticated ragdoll physics and the proprietary SplatterEngine™, creating cartoon blood and gore that is adorable and cathartic all at the same time. ZombieSmash! is available in eight languages and features four different game modes giving zombie hunters the chance to choose how zombies are bashed:

• Campaign Mode: Challenges players to survive for over 31 intense days against the mounting zombie threat and another 30 nights in the Camp Nowhere campaign

• Endless Siege Mode: Confronts players with a never-ending zombie assault – hold out as long as possible, racking up an ever-rising body count

• Sandbox Mode: Gives players all the tools to rain destruction down on those stinking, moaning zombies without any of the peril

• Bonus Nights: Smash and destroy zombies in new ways. Unlock this special mode through extended gameplay and by using your braaains!

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The AA Breakdown and Traffic app via the age old motoring organisation now adds regional traffic news and you can now store details for multiple  cars, MOT due dates and the like. This is one of the many apps that the AA have on Google Play, this one and more can be seen here.

The AA Breakdown and Traffic app however can be updated here if you’re not that bothered about the others.

What are QR codes?

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Looks like people are getting their knickers in a twist over Google Drive and their terms of service. I’ve seen a few blogs pumping out posts talking about Google Drive, what it does and of course making Google out to be a bad guy. One person even went as far as taking to Google to court and trying to bag a new phone. This is the paragraph that everyone keeps putting up:

When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing you have added to Google Maps). Some Services may offer you ways to access and remove content that has been provided to that Service. Also, in some of our Services, there are terms or settings that narrow the scope of our use of the content submitted in those Services. Make sure you have the necessary rights to grant us this license for any content that you submit to our Services.

You can find more information about how Google uses and stores content in the privacy policy or additional terms for particular Services. If you submit feedback or suggestions about our Services, we may use your feedback or suggestions without obligation to you.

The TOS are saying that Google have the right to look at your files and use that information to target you with ads, they won’t be printing your work rota off and pinning it on their fridge or any other scary things that some imaginations are working up. As with many people they are leaving out a very important part of the TOS, this:

Some of our Services allow you to submit content. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.

Google make their money via adverts, we all know that and of course if you don’t want to use any of the services offered by Google you are free to stop and opt for other email clients etc etc. Back in March Google changed their TOS of service to cover all the services they offer so they won’t be any different for Google Drive. If you are unsure about what Google will do with your data you can read in full Google’s policy and principles here.

As with anything, if you’re not happy don’t use it but no matter what service you are using, be careful what you post online.

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This will no doubt be a little relief to those of you that buy their phones from Carphone Warehouse. They have the Samsung Galaxy S 3 up on their coming soon page and they say will be available on all major networks, even better if you want it on Three, something that Phones 4U won’t be able to do after the 3G network pulled out of selling their products through the retailer which we posted yesterday.

It’s coming soon, we know when the thing will be announced and straight after that we should get prices and dates. So now that leaves Everything Everywhere  and Three to let us know if they intend on stocking it, O2 and Vodafone have already laid out their intentions but for Virgin customers, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

There has also been another leak of what it might look like, found this over on SammyHub. Is the picture that Carphone have the real deal?

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The very good app from ASDA has been updated and thanks to the feedback from many users they have implemented a few changes that should enhance the way you use it. Along with a few bug fixes the update now lets you store the app to your SD card and they have moved the barcode scanner to the search bar plus the voice input tab. Finally a very handy new feature has been added, you can now add a calendar appointment after you’ve left the checkout so you don’t have to manually add one yourself.

Superb stuff and to get the update head over to Google Play or scan the QR code below.

What are QR codes?

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After lots of rumours and plenty of speculation Google Drive has been launched and takes over from Google Docs. Everyone seems to have gone Google Drive crazy over the past few weeks and now it is finally here but it seems a little more geared to the business user. That doesn’t mean you can’t get involved and if you do here is what you can do:

* With Google Drive, you can store all your files in one place, so you can access them from anywhere and share them with others
* Use the Google Drive Android app to access your photos, documents, videos and other files stored on your Google Drive
* Upload files to Google Drive directly from your Android device
* Share any file with your contacts
* Access files others have shared with you on Google Drive
* Make any file available offline so you can access them even when you don’t have an Internet connection
* Create and edit Google documents with rich text formatting
* Edits to your Google documents appear to collaborators in seconds
* Make quick changes to spreadsheets
* View your PDFs, presentations and more
* Upload and convert files to the Google Docs format
* Take a photo of printed text and convert it to a Google document

If you want extra storage for your device you can buy more but if like me you purchased the 20GB version last year you’ll be able to use that against Gmail,Drive and  Picasa.  Extra storage will cost around £1.60 per month for 25 GB of storage for Drive and Picasa plus, an extra 30 GB for Gmail. 100GB will set you back roughly £3 and that gives you 100GB for Drive and Picasa plus 30GB  allocated for Gmail.

Download Google Drive  or indeed update Google Docs here. Let us know what you think of it, was the hype worth it in the end?

What are QR codes?

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Margaret Thatcher, a Lady who didn’t take any rubbish from anyone and that was no different when Argentina thought they would try to take over the Falklands way back in 1982. I was just a little lad then and remember seeing my Dad off when he and his fellow Royal Marines set sail as part of the task force sent to remove the unwanted visitors.

This book by the Iron Lady herself gives you an insight in to her thoughts behind the invasion and on getting the task force together to send across the Atlantic Ocean. With the current war of words between the UK and Argentina this will give you a view from way back then. It will be a short read but I’ve been told a very good one at that. It’s available on Google Play for £1.49.  After that you could take a look at The Battle for the Falklands, or search Falklands War and there are a host of other reads available too.

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The Galaxy S III is due in a few weeks and Vodafone have already announced that its coming with a landing page giving you the option to register for updates. O2 have tweeted their intentions to stock it and fingers along with everything else crossed that it will be available to one and all on the same date whenever that might actually be and of course Vodafone haven’t got an exclusive, we hope.

Hopefully all the other networks and of course retailers start sending out information that they will be selling the device too, this is going to bew a very much hyped launch and thus we should see some great deals on offer.

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Along with Three pulling out of the business market they have also parted ways with Phones 4U. The reason according to Phones 4U is due to Three upgrading their customers direct saying that it doesn’t quite fit how they ‘look after’ their customers. Those who work in they industry will have their thoughts about why and on speaking with someone who worked for Phones 4U they have a pretty good idea as to why.

‘Phones 4u’s strategy is to build a strong relationship with its customers throughout their lives. We value long-term relationships with our network operator partners where we can add value to their mobile journeys.

Three confirmed the split by saying they won’t be working with them any more. Above you can see how Phones 4U tried to jazz it up a little but Three gave a very quick and to the point comment out on the split.  Carphone will still be offering Three contracts and PAYG including phones and mobile broadband.

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With all the Ice Cream Sandwich updates  rolling out to a range of devices and if you are a Sony Mobile user like myself I am sure you will be impatiently waiting for your serving of Ice Cream Sandwich. Sony have recently begun the roll out worldwide, although the UK update packs are yet to be released.  The Sony Xperia support forum will be continuously updating the site to confirm when each model’s ICS update will be released.  Bookmark this page to keep an eye on when the update for your Xperia device will be available.

So far the Xperi Arc S,  Xperia  Ray and Xperia Neo V in mostly Nordic countries have seen the update but It’ll be here,soon.

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The thing hasn’t even been released yet but already Vodafone have a page up where you can register for updates for ‘Your next Galaxy’ if of course you intend on getting the new Galaxy phone from Samsung. This isn’t I hope an exclusive for them and it would be nice to see the new handset offered to everyone at the same time. If anyone was to get an exclusive on it I would expect the Phones 4U store in Oxford Street  to get it, they do have a Samsung mini store thing in their shop there.

All you need to do is visit this page and drop in a few details and Samsung have their page up and running too here.

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Ice Cream Sandwich is flying all over the place, well not far off but if you own a HTC Sensation and you purchased it via Three UK you’ll be ever so pleased to know that you can now, via an OTA update jump on the Ice Cream Sandwich fun bus. To get the update head to your phone, go to Settings>About and then software update. Make sure you back everything up and have enough juice in your battery.

Good to see most of the latest phones being updated.

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