Jerry Hildenbrand's blog

As devices start to make their way into more hands, the forums are jumping with discussion

There's been more news about the Samsung Galaxy S4 than you can shake a stick at as of late, and that means two things. Firstly, it's time for them to start trickling in from preorders and more people have them. The second is that people want to talk about it. That's where oru forums come into play. You can talk as much Galaxy S4 as you want with people just like you and me, who can't get enough and are excited. Take a look at a few.

• Look at what showed up on my doorstep this morning!
• Going from iPhone 5 to S4..
• Verizon Pre-Orders Available Now @ $199 (16GB) after $50 mail-in rebate
• Galaxy S4 Design
• AT&T will offer 32gb Saturday April 27

So have look at our review, then head into the forums and see what all the fuss is about!

Water and dust resistant Samsung Galaxy S4 Active could be on store shelves this summer

A couple of days ago we told you that a Samsung executive let it slip that there was a rugged version of the Galaxy S4 in the works, and today the Wall Street Journal says the same. According to their sources, the water and dust resistant version will be called the Galaxy S4 Active, and we should see it this summer in July.

Without a doubt there is a market for "weather proof" phones. Motorola has offered a few along the years and while they aren't always pushing the edge with the latest specifications, they are popular with folks wanting equipment that will stand up to less than ideal conditions. Should Samsung release their top-end phone in a version that can take a little extra abuse, it should get some attention.

With July just a few months away, we should know more soon. We'll keep you updated.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Sales are up, and we haven't even counted the Galaxy S4 yet -- look for Samsung to have another record quarter come July

I'm no financial wizard, but I know big numbers when i see them. And Samsung, as expected, is turning them out. They've just posted their Q1 2013 earnings, and the big news is that they have turned in net profits of 7.15 Trillion Won (that's 6.4 Billion US dollars), with total sales of 52.9 Trillion Won, up from 45.3 Trillion last quarter.

Phones make up a big portion of these numbers. About $358 Billion worth, though it's worth noting that not all the phones sold are Android-powered, or even smart phones. The Mobile unit's operating profit was 6.51 Trillion Won on the back of 68 million units. And they expect things to get even better in Q2, suggesting that Samsung will ship 78 Million handsets out of their mobile division. I have a feeling millions of them will be the Galaxy S4. 

You Wall Street types will want to check out the links below for the big picture, while the rest of us try to wrap our heads around these numbers. 

Source: Bloomberg. More: Samsung's earning s release (pdf)

200 invitations won't last long, so if you're interested grab one quickly!

The good people at App.net have been trying something new by offering limited, invitation-only free tier accounts. It's a great way to try out the services App.net has to offer, like the Twitter-style social blogging, cloud storage, and messaging services before they decide to spend any money. Everyone likes to try before they buy, and it leads to more satisfied customers who know what to expect. It's a great idea, but invites aren't exactly the easiest thing to get.

We can alleviate that a little bit, as ADN has reached out to us and given us 200 invites to hand out. They know readers of sites like Android Central are the type who want to try out these sort of services, and can provide feedback to make everything as good as it can be. 200 invites won't last long, though, so if you're interested you'll need to jump on it.

Update: The first 200 went quickly, so here's 200 more from the fine folks at App.net!

Join App.net from AndroidCentral

If you use the invitation, you'll be automatically following Android Central, so you'll have some content in your stream while you look for others to follow and talk with. You don't have to keep following us though, there are no strings attached here.

This is a great way to try out the App.net service, so be sure to give it a look. We'll see you there!

Vine creators to bring their social video app to Android "soon"

Vine is going to come to Google Play "soon", according the the folks who created the popular iOS app. Speaking to The Verge, there was no timeline or any further details given about the Android version, and we're not even going to guess.

If you're not familiar with Vine, think of it as YouTube for folks with very short attention spans. It captures six seconds of video, letting you stop and start as many times as you like, then assembling everything up ready to post to Twitter. There is no secret sauce or other magic at work -- just a six second video clip. Have a look at it here, where Phil breaks it down.

The app itself allows you to follow users and view their Vines, and there's an unofficial website to follow along for those who don't have the app at VinePeek. Warning -- this is exactly what you would expect to see when you give everyone an uncensored arena to post six second clips. If you find wieners and teenagers using foul language offensive, you have been warned.

When Vine does come to Android, we'll give it a good look. I'm calling in sick that day.

Page rendering performance and frequently occurring crashes addressed in today's update

Chrome Beta has been updated in Google Play this afternoon, and along with the usual (and often cryptic) fixes and enhancements, this version was specifically updated with an "Improvement to page rendering performance."  Here's the full list of changes, because we know some of you are into that sort of thing.

• 179250: Black screen during load on Huawei tablets
• 224379: Cannot scroll images after zooming in
• 226193: Blue line displayed below the omnibox
• Improvement to page rendering performance
• Fixes for some frequently occurring crashes

We don't post every time a beta version of an app gets updated, but we know more than a few folks are concerned with things like improvements to page rendering performance -- we know we are. You can update, or grab the beta from the Google Play link above.

Source: Google Chrome blog

Jelly Bean and a long list of bug fixes highlight the OTA that begins today

Fans of the Motorola Photon Q have a reason to celebrate today, as Sprint and Motorola have released the Jelly Bean update for the slider. The 9.8.2Q-122_XT897_FFW-5 update brings the Photon Q to platform version Android 4.1, brings the Jelly Bean goodies like Project Butter and Google Now, and has a laundry list of fixes and patches. Here's that list:

• Google OS upgrade to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Google Now
• Voice search enhancements
• Camera includes improved image quality and more intuitive panorama mode
• Ability to zoom out to filmstrip mode in the Gallery
• Keyboard includes improved dictionary and text to speech capabilities
• Notification enhancements
• Resolved Quick Office closing when reviewing a document
• Improved GSM roaming connectivity for global use
• Improved streaming of Sprint TV when location services are turned off
• Enhanced security and ease of use on the face unlock feature
• Removed Quick Views, Speed Dial, and MOTOPRINT applications
• Improved accuracy and response of voice to text for texting, emailing, and web search

Like all OTA updates for Sprint phones, this one is rolling out in stages. It starts today, so be sure to check for the update in your settings if you've been waiting. If you've received the update, or just want to shoot the breeze while you wait, the forums is a great place to be.

Source: Sprint

The HTC Deluxe shows up again, this time in Wisconsin

Cellcom, the regional carrier from Wisconsin, has unveiled their next marquee device -- the HTC Deluxe. It's basically the HTC Droid DNA repackaged for the small network, which means it's a pretty damn good piece of equipment. If you need a refresher, that means it has a quad-core Snapdragon Pro CPU, a 5-inch 1080p display, 2GB of RAM, and an LTE radio to keep the data flowing.

No word on when it will arrive, just that it's coming "soon" for $199 with a new contract or $570 if you buy it outright. If you're a Cellcom subscriber, this is definitely worth a second look. See the source link for more details.

Source: Cellcom. Thanks, Aaron!

Google proactively scanning apps uploaded to Google Play for tablet compatibility, provides feedback to developers in real-time

Google has added a new tablet optimization tips page to the developer console in order to provide feedback about apps and how they fare against the Tablet App Quality Checklist. When developers upload their apps, the Developer Console now runs a "series of checks to verify basic criteria" against the list, and displays the results in a new page. Android was built with application scalability in mind, meaning there is no need to build multiple apps designed for different device types, and instead use tools and assets designed for each under the umbrella of one app. It sounds great on paper, and works great when developers take the time to build out apps with this in mind.

Taking time is the key part. It's not easy to build mobile apps, especially ones that look good and take advantage of each device screen size and dimensions. Starting today, Google can help a little more by analyzing an app when it's uploaded, then placing some tips how it can be done "better" for tablets in the new optimization tips page.  

While this is one of those things most of us will never see, having it in place means better apps -- something we can all get behind.

Source: Google

Iron Man 3 flies his way to Android, grab it for free from Google Play

Gameloft has published Iron Man 3 to Google Play this morning, bringing the Marvel hero to life on your Android phone or tablet. Fly your way through this endless runner meets on-rails shooter, fighting against A.I.M. forces in Malibu Shores, New York city, and China. You can even fight some of your favorite bad guys from Iron Man comics, with boss battles against the likes of Crimson Dynamo, Ezekiel Stane, Living Laser and the mighty M.O.D.O.K. All while trying to manage Stark Industries and develop 18 new suits and keep your armor and super powers updated.

At 768MB it's a fairly big install, but the graphics and sound are pretty awesome. And of course, there are in-app purchases at every turn, but hopefully the game can be played without nickel-and-diming its way through your wallet. We'll be taking a good long look at this one, but in the meantime you can check out Simon's hands-on from GDC after the break. The game requires Android 2.3 or higher, and you can grab it from the Google Play link above.