Sony Xperia Z pre-orders begin in the UK, free headphones offered

5-inch Sony phone available to pre-order at Three, O2, Phones4U and CPW with free £300 cans; launch slated for Feb. 28

Today sees the start of Sony's launch promotions for the Xperia Z in the UK. The 5-inch handset is can be pre-ordered through mobile networks O2 and Three, as well as retailers Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse. All four could earn you the chance to walk away with a set of £300 Sony MDR-1R Prestige headphones, though the promotion is limited to the first 1000 pre-orders at each retailer or carrier. The pre-order promo runs from now until Feb 28, when the Xperia Z goes on sale in the UK.

Here's a quick breakdown of what each Xperia Z launch partner is offering --

Three --

• Black and white colors
• Prices start at £34 per month on a 24-month contract, with a £69 up-front fee
• That gets you 500 minutes, 5000 texts and unlimited data
• Also selling on Pay As You Go (PAYG) for £449.99

O2 --

• Black and purple colors
• Wide range of tariffs; cheapest plan with a free phone is £47 per month on a 24-month contract
• That gets you 1200 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB, as well as a 3-month early upgrade
• O2 is not yet offering the Xperia Z on PAYG

Carphone Warehouse -- 

• Black and white colors
• Selling on four 24-month contracts with O2 and Vodafone between £33 and £38 per month
• Best value plans are with Vodafone -- £38 p.m. for unlimited texts and minutes, plus 2GB, or £33 p.m. for 600 mins, unlimited texts and 500MB, plus a £29 up-front fee.
• No details of PAYG or off-contract prices yet.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Google Nexus 4 delivery is less than 48 hours, not 1-2 weeks

Not only is the Google Nexus 4 back on sale, but it's already dropping through phone fans' letterboxes less than 48 hours later -- much less than the one- or two-week wait Google warned us about.

When we say the Nexus 4 is fast, we're usually talking about the quad-core processor, responsive 4.7-inch screen and slick Android 4.2 Jelly Bean software. But CNET reader Dan Tooth dropped us a line to tell us his 16GB Nexus 4 is pretty speedy at crossing the country too, arriving this morning less than 48 hours after he ordered it.

Like many keen phone fans, Dan was quick off the mark, completing his order just seven minutes after the phone returned to Google Play at 3pm on Wednesday. And he's not the only one, as other readers report that a new Nexus dropped through their letterbox too to brighten up this rainy morning.

That's a delivery time of just over a day and a half, much less than the 1-2 weeks currently estimated by Google -- and a far cry from the 6-7 week wait some customers faced last year.

The Nexus 4 is still available today, making this probably the longest uninterrupted period it's been on sale. LG, which builds the Nexus 4, and Google, which created the software, blame each other for the stock snafu: Google claims supply has been erratic, while LG says Google disastrously underestimated the demand. But the problem seems to have been sorted, and fingers crossed we've seen the last Sold Out sign on Google Play.

The 8GB Nexus 4 costs £240 and the 16Gb model costs £280. You can buy two of each at a time, and hey, you may have it within a day or two.

[Source: CNET]

Intel introduces the Yolo, a low-cost Android smartphone heading to Kenya

Intel, partnering with Safaricoma Kenyan based provider, has announced a new smartphone, the Yolo, headed to African markets. Back at CES, Intel took to the stage to introduce Lexington, which is their new processor targeted at emerging markets. The Yolo is the first smartphone to have that chip and looks positioned to make quite an impact in emerging markets.

The Intel Yolo will contain:

• 3.5-inch screen (320 x 420)
• 1.2GHz processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal storage
• micro-SD slot that supports up to 32GB
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Android 4.04 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 5MP camera

The specs are low to mid-range because that's what this phone is aimed at. Intel wants to make a real push in emerging markets and the Yolo looks poised to do just that. Kenya will be the first market in Africa to get the phone, but we're betting that we'll see it in other markets soon. The phone will cost Ksh 10,999, which is about $125.It will also come bundled with 500MB.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Leaked press image of forthcoming Huawei Ascend P2 emerges ahead of MWC unveiling

This press image obtained by @evleaks claims to be the next high end offering from Huawei. Following on from the Ascend D2 which first launched at CES, the Ascend P2 that we see here is also reportedly joining the 1080p display club. Only, unlike the D2 which comes in at 5 inches, the P2 display is reported to be just 4.5 inches with on-screen buttons. 

Leaks of recent Huawei devices have proved pretty accurate, so while the usual rumor tag applies here too, there's plenty of cause to believe this is what we'll be seeing from Huawei in Barcelona next month at Mobile World Congress.

The P2, besides the display, is also reported to contain an in-house built 1.8GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 13MP camera and a pretty hefty 3000mAh battery. Software is said to beJelly Bean, with no indication as to which version.  If it all pans out, it's clear to see that Huawei didn't just leave their big guns in Las Vegas. How much is true remains to be seen, but we'll be live from Barcelona next month to take a look at whatever it is that Huawei brings.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Skype update adds portrait calling on tablets, rest of the app locked in landscape

The latest update to Skype improved the UI and added a much asked for feature in portrait calling, but unfortunately the rest of the app is locked in landscape. The portrait calling seemed like a no-brainer fix, especially considering many smaller tablets -- like the Nexus 7 -- have camera setups meant for portrait orientation. The unfortunate bug (or at least we hope it's a bug) is that for now the rest of the UI is locked into landscape orientation. This means that browsing your contacts and initiating calls is all in landscape, then you have to rotate the tablet to hold the call.

Overall the new UI is great and pretty well mirrors the styling of the phone UI, but the perpetual landscape really puts a damper on things. Let's hope Skype pushes out a new update to add back in the portrait support, and in the meantime we can at least enjoy portrait video calls.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Nexus 4 hitting retail shelves in Australia come Feb. 1

If you're one of the many still trying to get your hands on a Nexus 4, and happen to live in Australia, we have some good news. Starting February 1, the phone that plays hard to get will be available in retail stores across the land of Oz. The 16GB version will set you back $499 AUD (that's about $525 US) without any pesky contracts or commitments. Of course, you can also choose to get it bundled with an Optus plan for just $35 AUD (about $37 USD) a month.

The pricing isn't bad compared to retail on other unlocked phones, but is still marked up a bit over the Google Play price of $349 US. It's a case of demand setting the market price, and it's still cheaper than eBay.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Temple Run 2 for Android now available in Google Play

Temple Run 2, the highly anticipated sequel to one of the biggest games ever, is now available in Google Play. It has all the twists and turns (and monkeys) of the original, but it's been completely redone with great new graphics, new environments, and even bigger monkeys! It's free to download (of course you can spend money via in-app purchases if that's your thing) and you can grab it at the link to the left.

I've not sat down and really played it yet, so holler if there's something we should take a look at. Of course, we'll spend some quality time sliding and jumping, then give this one a proper look. Hit the break for the official trailer.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Chrome Beta update fixes issues, has a new icon

Since a proper Chrome Beta channel app came into the Play Store, we knew we'd be in for some frequent updates. Alongside a new icon that has a black/white "BETA" tag on it, rather than the angled grey/white one before, this update brings many small fixes:

• 165783 - Enable compositing scrollable frames on Android
• 168368 - Chrome progress bar should be displayed as soon as the user clicks a link
• 165244 - Text handler jumps or disappears when moving
• 162486 - iframe scrolling broken

There are still some glaring bugs, as is the case with Beta releases, such as yahoo.com page links not working and some intense graphical glitches on certain devices. This is all part of the fun though, and we know what we're getting into when moving to the Beta channel of a browser.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Instapaper updated with pagination, tilt scrolling, and more

Instapaper for Android has been updated to version 1.2, bringing bug fixes, performance enhancements, and a couple new features. We're not sure which bugs and performance issues were addressed, but we do know which features were added.

Pagination allows you to scroll an entire page versus line by line. If you're used to this type of scrolling, it's quite nice in any app that's built for reading. It's now available in the settings menu for those who want to give it a shot. In addition, you can enable tilt scrolling, which is just what it sounds like -- tilt your device to scroll the page. If you're the type who likes gestures and such, this one is for you.

On the visual side, Instapaper now supports in-line footnotes, and a new sepia mode that should prove easy on your tired eyes, 

Probably the biggest new feature is actually called The Feature -- a section of curated, editor recommended articles. While not for everyone, often times it's nice to have a place where quality content is the norm. 

Grab the update from Google Play, or install Instapaper ($2.99; Android 2.3.3 or higher) from the link above.

[Source: Android Central]

Samsung ships 100 million Galaxy S devices worldwide

Samsung has announced that its Galaxy S line of Android phones has shifted a total of 100 million units “on the supply side” to date. Meanwhile, the manufacturer’s leading Galaxy S3 smartphone has reportedly moved some 40 million units, as has its predecessor, the Galaxy S2.

Samsung broke the news through a Flickr post, in which it also revealed that the Galaxy S3 is currently selling at a rate of around 190,000 per day. (Our last update on Galaxy S3 numbers came in early November, when Samsung had moved 30 million units.)

The history of the series stretches back just over two and a half years, to the launch of the original Galaxy S in May 2010. Since then, Samsung has gone on to dominate the Android market, and in many countries its devices account for the majority of smartphone sales.

Desirable specs, broad international availability and aggressive marketing have seen the Galaxy S3 emerge as one of the biggest-selling handsets of the year, going toe-to-toe with Apple’s iPhone 5 in recent months.

As we move further into 2013, all eyes will be on the eventual successor to the Galaxy S3, though at present Samsung remains tight-lipped about any possible Galaxy S4 device.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Groupon Payments comes to Android, starts catching up to Square

Use Groupon Payments for your business? You just got a little more choice -- the popular deal broker just updated its Android app to support credit card transactions. The update brings the fledgling payment service a little closer to Square, which has been available on Android since 2010. If the iOS rates hold, swiping plastic through Groupon Merchants will set retailers back a mere $0.15 per transaction, plus 1.8 percent of the charge for Visa, MasterCard and Discover, or three percent for American Express. The update also boasts improved analytics, giving retailers the ability to check transaction history, daily sales reports and peek at revenue trends.

[Source: Engadget]

Chrome Beta channel now available for Android

Good news everyone! The Chrome Beta channel for Android kicks off today with version 25.0.1364.8. Like the Beta channel for the computer, it's a preview of features and fixes that has already passed the development channel and is running through the final testing before it makes its way into the final version. That means it's a great way to try out things that may be broken, but still allow the software to work as a whole. Today's release comes with the following bugs:

• Performance is sluggish, noticeably on Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S
• Frequent freeze on devices with specific versions of Qualcomm GPU driver
• Text autosizing may break formatting on some sites
• 164632 - Editing bookmark feature is broken
• 165244 - Text position handler jumps or disappears when moving
• 163439 - Clicking on links in yahoo.com not navigating on Nexus 7
• 166233 - Unable to submit comments on Facebook posts in desktop version of Facebook
• 165244 - Text handler jumps or disappears when moving
• 167351 - Youtube video controls are lost after returning from fullscreen video mode
• 162486 - iframe scrolling broken

Scary, but you get used to it if you run the Beta channel on the desktop. On the plus side, Chrome 25 brings huge improvements in HTML5 support and JavaScript performance, so it's worth it to many.

To get on the Beta track, you'll need to directly click this link, as it's not publicised or available via search in Google Play. It installs along side your current version of Chrome for Android, so you always have a fail-safe. Grab it, and have fun!

[Source: AndroidCentral]

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