jelly bean

At first glance, the lock screen widgets in Android 4.2 may seem like a convenient feature. But you may soon realize having all of your personal information plastered on what was once a secure screen, isn't ideal. Removing the widgets is simple, but you're still left with the box outlines every time you wake your device, which can get annoying. And there's no way to disable widgets, or camera access for that matter, on the lock screen built into Android 4.2.

Thankfully, an Android developer has released a free app titled Lockscreen Policy, enabling you … Read more

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean includes a new feature called Daydream. Daydream is nothing more than a different name for a screensaver, but for your Android device. You can choose from one of the five default Daydreams to start playing when your device is docked, charging, or both.

It turns out one of the available Daydreams is hidden by default. It requires the device owner to perform a task in order to unlock the dream. Had it not been for this post on Android Central, I would have thought it was visible by default.

One of the first things I … Read more

Have you ever begun to edit a photo and before you know it -- three filters, a border, and a crop later -- you've lost track of where you started? Going back to view the original photo is an option, but then you risk saving the current edit, or losing it altogether and having to start all over.

A post on Droid Life reveals a new feature in Android 4.2 that allows you to view the original photo during the edit process. It's simple to use in order to compare an original photo to the freshly edited … Read more

It's a first-time Prizefight for a whole new evolving category between Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 and LG's Intuition.

These two unique devices bring the world of a smartphone and a tablet into one form factor. Throw in the use of a stylus, and we're talking about two of the most versatile mobile devices on the planet.

The Galaxy Note 2 has learned its lessons and it brings a versatile stylus, albeit with a much steeper learning curve. The LG Intuition stylus interface is straightforward and simple, but there's no place to hold the stylus on … Read more

We're back, and just in time for the holiday shopping season! Welcome to the pre-Black Friday episode of Always On: the unboxing extravaganza.

This episode alone features Google's two new pure-Android Nexus devices -- the LG Nexus 4 and the Nexus 10 tablet. I so wanted to love the Nexus 4, since I'm definitely in the market for a pure-Android device, but I'm skeptical (as is our CNET reviewer, Lynn La) about the lack of 4G LTE in the unlocked model. Then again, I don't have to sit around worrying about it since the phone … Read more

Samsung has released the LTE edition of its Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, but the model is available only in Korea for now.

Sold through three different Korean wireless carriers, the new tablet also offers VoLTE (Voice over LTE), which allows standard voice calls to be transmitted over the LTE data network.

Hit by lackluster sales for its Tab tablet lineup, Samsung has been promoting the new Note devices. The introduction of LTE brings the Note up to the level of the 4G Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Sporting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the LTE Galaxy Note 10.1 kicks … Read more

Is Google the new Grinch who stole Christmas?

Sure, the month of December can be expensive and stressful, but Google apparently has an app for avoiding it. Users of Google's recently released Android 4.2 Jelly Bean are finding that the Web giant left the last month of year out of the operating system's People app.

Users attempting to add a friend's birthday using the "date picker" feature will scroll right from November to January.

The bug appears contained to the People app and does not affect Android's Calendar app. And on a Nexus … Read more

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean includes a new camera feature called Photo Sphere. With the feature, users can take 360-degree panoramic photos in just a few minutes. Creating a sphere is easy: launch the camera app and select the Photo Sphere icon. Your Android device will show you where to point the camera, you hold still for a few seconds and then you move on to the next mark, or dot. It essentially translates into a game of connect the dots, where a photo is taken at each dot. Once you're done, your phone will stitch the photos together … Read more

HTC has launched an FAQ page that details its Android 4.1 Jelly Bean plans. Though it stops short of listing specific device upgrade dates, it page spells out some of the factors that determine which models will make the cut.

It should come as no surprise that HTC will give priority to recent models such as the One X and One S. As far as other devices, though, the company is "actively reviewing" its portfolio of handsets.

To that end, HTC already has shut the door on two models, the One V and the … Read more