Comments are closed folks. Look for more spring cleaning soon!

Let's make a pretty big dent in the pile on my desk, shall we? The ASUS MeMO Pad might be far from our favorite 7-inch Android tablet out there, but that doesn't mean we don't want it to go to a good home. Despite what the box shows, we're giving away the same one we reviewed, in its "cherry pink" color. (Which really is more cherry than it is pink.)

To win this guy, just leave a comment on this post. We'll shut things down at midnight EDT tonight and pick a winner. (And, yes, we'll be announcing all the winners later this week.) Good luck, everybody!

A wider Asian launch for the Optimus G Pro? Event scheduled for May 30.

LG has sent out "save the date" invites for a launch event in Macau, China on May 30. The event, which will focus on "a member of the Optimus G series" has started going out to members of the press, and the invite seems to suggest the LG Optimus G Pro will be seeing a wider Asian launch following the Korean and Japanese releases earlier in the year. (What's more, that phone in the image sure looks a lot like the black Optimus G Pro.)

We'll have to wait and see what LG's got up its sleeve, but with the event taking place in China, we suspect whatever it is will be tightly focused on that market.

Release candidate builds now available for some forty devices

Following the third "M snapshot" build just under a month ago, the CyanogenMod team is pushing ahead with the roll-out of the first "RC" or release candidate build of CM 10.1. RC1 of the Android 4.2.2-based firmware is now available for a total of forty devices, and in its announcement news post today the team says it expects this to be one of the last milestones before the stable release of CM 10.1.

The list of devices with RC1 builds available includes the current crop of Nexus phones and tablets (and the Nexus Q), various U.S. Galaxy S3 phones, U.S. Galaxy Note models, the international HTC One X and LG Optimus G. You can see the full list of codenames over at the CM announcement post, linked below. As usual, the builds themselves are available from the official download page at get.cm. Happy flashing!

Source: CyanogenMod

'Facebook Phone' currently selling for next to nothing on 2-year plan

If you've been tempted to pick up the Facebook-centric HTC First on AT&T, the carrier's hoping a temporary price drop might push you over the edge. The First, which runs the social network's Facebook Home software atop near-vanilla Android, is today selling online for just 99 cents with a two-year service agreement, down from $99 at launch.

However if you want to get the First at this significantly reduced price you may not want to hang around. Engadget's Brad Molen tweets that the price drop is a promotional change rather than a permanent reduction.

In our review of the HTC First we praised its build quality and ergonomic form factor, though we had some misgivings about the usefulness of Facebook's home screen to the average smartphone user. Of course, you could always disable Facebook Home and be left with an attractive mid-to-high-end HTC phone running a vanilla Android UI.

Source: AT&T; @phonewisdom

Just a few taps in the settings turns the First into an entirely new device

When we reviewed the HTC First, we found the hardware and performance to be decidedly top-notch considering its pricing and placement in AT&T's lineup. For $100 on-contract -- or $449 off -- you could have a phone with a great screen, acceptable specs and a form factor that fits in your hand without contortion. Discussion of the HTC First then took a turn towards intrigue when it was discovered that you could quickly and permanently turn off the Facebook Home software. It continued when we then saw that sitting underneath Home was something that genuinely looked like stock Android 4.1.

Just like any other Android launcher, there are no strings attached here -- turning off Facebook Home disables it until you choose to turn it back on. A small, well-built device that can simply be changed over to run a more vanilla Android experience is something that many have been looking for as average screen sizes have ballooned in the last couple of years. So what's it like to use the HTC First with Facebook Home permanently turned off? Well, it's actually a generally great experience. Stick around after the break and see some of the details.

If you're in the market for a new Samsung Galaxy S4 and need to pick up some printer toner, a pack of ballpoint pens, and a new label maker, then you might just want to get yourself to your nearest... Staples. The office supply store is now carrying the Galaxy S4 for all major US carriers (that'd be AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon), with varying availability in stores and online depending on your carrier of choice.

The Galaxy S4 for Sprint from Staples is available online only in 'white frost' or 'black mist' for $199.99 on a two-year contract (or $715.99 off contract). Going for Verizon (again, white or black) will be $179.99 with the standard two-year contract or $715.99 without, though they're currently on preorder and not expected to arrive in stores and ship until May 30. T-Mobile currently only has the white Galaxy S4 available via the Staples website ($249.99 on contract, $715.99 off) and it's supposedly available now in stores. AT&T's the current laggard in Staples availability, with the S4 only to be available in stores, with no publicly projected date of availability.

So go grab yourself a ream of paper, get some business cards printed, and pick up a Samsung Galaxy S4 while you're at it. Especially if you're looking at Verizon - it's $20 cheaper on contract through Staples than the carrier.

Source: Business Wire

The Android Central (and Mobile Nations) community is made up of countless awesome people. Sometimes I think that amid all of the phone talk, carrier discussions, debates regarding bugs and build quality, and general techy banter, people forget that real live actual people are behind those words on the screen. I think that's why I really enjoyed last week's contest for the AT&T HTC One. We decided the requirement for entry was to post a video of you doing your favorite hobby or showing your talent, and the entries were amazing!

Now, we couldn't judge these entries and choose who was the "best". It was never meant to be that kind of contest. So we've put all the eligible entries into our magical contest winner picker machine and you can find out the name of that lucky Android Central member is below!

Google's predictive search app is alive and well on the Galaxy S4 -- and there are a few ways to get to it quickly

On many Android phones with on-screen keys, getting to Google Now -- the excellent predictive/voice-controlled search app in Android 4.1 and above -- is simply a matter of swiping up from the bottom of the screen. It's not quite as simple as that on the new Samsung Galaxy S4, but fear not, there are still a few quick and easy ways to get to the new Google Search app.

Android 4.1.2 firmware shows up on certification forum, release could be days away

As tends to happen with upcoming Sony firmware, the official Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update for the Sony Xperia S (LT26i) has appeared on the website of the PTCRB, the North American wireless device certification forum. It's also joined by official Jelly Bean firmware for the Japan-centric Xperia Acro S and the Xperia SL, an upgraded variant of the S with a higher-clocked CPU.

With the firmware for these devices being certified, it's likely a matter of days or weeks until the update starts hitting handsets. It's been some six months since Sony announced that the Xperia S would be getting Jelly Bean, and almost a year since we first laid eyes on Android 4.1. So to say it's about time Xperia S owners got their Jelly Bean update might be something of an understatement. Fingers crossed for a OTA roll-out before the end of the month.

Source: PTCRB, via: ​XperiaBlog