Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie: UPDATE

The Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date, feature list and other rumors surrounding the software are only presumed at the moment. Google still hasn't confirmed the existence of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, but many developers and others invested in the Android community believe that the new operating system could be launched at Google I/O in May 2013. (Photo: developers.google.com / events/io/)

Now that the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been unveiled and discovered to be preloaded with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, the biggest Android fans are curious about what might possibly be the next big release for the platform. Though smartphones are always a topic of interest among consumers, fans that are already committed to the platform are more interested in the launch date of next iteration of the Android -- unofficially dubbed Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.

The Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date, feature list and other rumors surrounding the software are only presumed at the moment. Details about Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie are difficult to predict with any certainty. Google still hasn't confirmed the existence of Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, but many developers and others invested in the Android community believe that the new operating system could be launched at Google I/O in May 2013.

Google I/O is known as a common launching point for many new services that the company launches. In the history of the event, Google I/O has been the release event for the Nexus 7 tablet, Google Glass, Nexus Q, Google+ for tablets, the Android Jelly Bean SDK release and many other technical announcements for the Android operating system.

Google I/O stands for "input and output," and "innovation in the open," two broad-sweeping mantras of the convention. The purpose of the developerconference is essentially promote the creation of building enterprise applications and more with Google platforms such as Android, Chrome, Chrome OS and Google Web Toolkit. Google I/O will take place from May 15-17 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Whether or not the Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date occurs during Google I/O remains to be seen, but the fact that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was announced at a recent convention bodes well for fans anxiously awaiting the next iteration of the operating system.

Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie will probably be released with the Motorola X Phone, a smartphone that has been shrouded in secrecy for the last several months. Google hasn't confirmed the Motorola X Phone, either. There isn't much information about the Motorola X Phone available to the public. Still, not everyone has been quiet about the secret project.

"According to [Smarthouse sources], who claim to have spoken with Telstra CTO Hugh Bradlow on the matter, the X Phone will be a 'game changer.' It's supposed to be a 'real breakthrough' that will put pressure on Samsung and Apple, something no one in the smartphone industry has done in a couple of years," reported Kellex of Droid Life, the popular blog dedicated to Android rumors and news.

Though people are interested in the first phone that will run Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, many more are interested in the features and improvements that Google will unveil during the next iteration of Android OS. There are already many new features that have been added to smartphones, such as gesture-control functions, that may become standardized in the next iteration of Android.

Months ago, Android 5.0 Key Lime was rumored to be the launching pad for aGoogle Now widget. A small snapshot of the Google Now widget appeared briefly on a Google support page before it was taken down. By the time it was taken off of the site, many Android fans grabbed snapshots and other copies of the Google Now widget in order to preserve the evidence. Google inevitably rolled out the Google Now widget on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

"...We learned from Android Central that Google is working with the Linux 3.8 kernel, which gives rise to the notion that this kernel might make it into Android 5," reports TechRadar. "One improvement that the 3.8 kernel brings is lowered RAM usage, which would mean a snappier phone with better multitasking."

Android developers have been talking about Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie features in several forums and guessing what features might be included in the next iteration of the operating system. In one of many Android 5.0 feature prediction threads on XDA Developers, user np231 listed the following as his predictions:

1) Profile Management: BB10 has it, Android should offer it too. 
2) Video Calling App: I think we actually need this
3) Text Message Sync: This would be very helpful, I use SMSBackup+, but native functionality would be nice. 

In addition to user np231 from XDA Developers, many other Android fans suspect that Google will address the messaging problem that has existed over the last few generations of Android. Google has several different messaging services -- Google Talk, Google Messenger, Google Voice and Gmail -- that are hardly integrated and make it difficult for users to manage so many inboxes. Reports about Google's new messaging service have already surfaced on several sites..

"Babble continues Google's trend towards organization by conversation. You can share photos in chat windows just like you would in G+ Messenger, start a Hangout with anyone in your contact list, and the conversations are threaded across all the existing services," reports Russell Holly of Geek.com.

"Moving forward, the individual services will all be pushed onto the single platform, and you'll be able to use the same chat window across all of Google's products with the same features available everywhere. It's not so much releasing a new product as it is pulling together all of the existing products under a single branding," he adds.

In addition to new messaging software, Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is rumored to add extra features to the Samsung Galaxy S4. Rumors of new Samsung software called "Samsung Orb" surfaced online prior to the Galaxy S4 release date, but the software wasn't announced alongside the Galaxy S4. There's a chance that Samsung decided to completely trash the software and not release it on any of its phones, but many Android fans would like to think otherwise.

"Samsung Orb could make its way to the Samsung Galaxy S4, only it may arrive with Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie rather than in an incremental update or a later update," reports Gotta Be Mobile. "This is not confirmed and it could be that the feature is left off the device altogether in favor of Photo Sphere but until Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie rolls out, we won't know."

Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie features that are rumored also included the introduction of performance profiles. Many Android owners complain about the battery life of their devices, and some believe that if consumers were given a better way to manage their battery consumption, they might have a better experience with Android device. Although better power management controls would be a welcome addition to many users, there's a strong chance that users might not want to manage such features and would prefer to keep things automated.

Other Android 5.0 Rumors include a video chatting app that will likely compete with iMessage and small revisions made to existing Google products. Some of the apps that users want revised include Google Calendars, Gmail and the Contacts app in Android. It's still unclear whether Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie will keep the same major design elements included in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. If it does, there probably won't be many major design changes to Google serviceapps.

The Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie release date, features list and rumors circulating the web are difficult to sift through at this point, and that's mainly because reports are mostly wild speculation. Whether or not Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is released at Google I/O remains to be seen, but we can't think of a better location. As for the Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie features, anything is possible at this point. We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available.

AT&T Announces Massive 30-50GB Mobile Shared Data Plans

AT&T today unveiled three new shared data plans aimed at businesses, offering 30GB, 40GB, and 50GB of data, along with unlimited calls and texts. 

The plans, which begin at $300, also come alongside new Mobile Share - Data only and Business Pooled Nation for Data plans for business customers.

The new plans make it even easier and more affordable to work or play on the go, whether that be taking mobile payments, controlling inventory, downloading videos, managing fleets, or navigating unfamiliar streets.

For consumers, AT&T's new plans are limited to 10 devices. Businesses can add 15 devices for 30GB plans, 20 devices for 40GB plans, and 25 devices for 50GB plans. 

Additional devices, such as iPads and basic phones, can be added for an extra monthly fee, and AT&T also requires the same $30 per smartphone that customers must pay for other data plans. A 50GB plan with 10 smartphones would run approximately $800 per month or $1250 per month for 25 smartphones. 

As for Mobile Share - Data, businesses and consumers can now purchase data only plans for tablets and laptops that range from 4GB to 50GB ($30 to $335 per month), and with Business Pooled Nation for Data, businesses in need of more than 25 devices are able to purchase data buckets from 300MB to 10GB. 

Previously, AT&T's plans maxed out at 20GB of data for $200 per month.

New HTC Droid DNA Review

Look out Samsung Galaxy Note II, there's a new kid on the block, at least if you're a Verizon Wireless customer, and that's the HTC Droid DNA. Variously rumored as the HTC DLX and Butterfly J overseas, the HTC Droid DNA is one of our top smartphones for 2012. It has a slim and elegant design and it's relatively narrow, which makes holding this 5" Android smartphone easier than you might think. It trounces the Note II and every other smartphone on the market with its 1920 x 1080 Super LCD 3 display. That's 440ppi pixel density; significantly higher than the iPhone 5's Retina display and the lovely Nokia Lumia 920 332ppi display. Colors are more balanced and natural compared to Samsung's Super AMOLED HD display and letters and images look painted on the screen, much like the HTC One X and iPhone 5. Gorilla Glass protects the curved glass display. Performance and Horsepower But it doesn't stop there; this 5 ounce phone runs on a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU. The "Pro" is important, it indicates that this is the quad core variant of the S4 previously found on the speedy LG Optimus G and Nexus 4. The HTC DNA, running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean with the HTC Sense UI absolutely flies. It feels noticeably faster than other high end Android phones, despite pushing all those extra pixels. It has 2 gigs of RAM and 16 gigs of storage. That's a sore point for us: we'd really like to see more than 16 gigs of storage since there's no microSD card slot. Of that 16 gigs, our phone had 11 gigs available after installing a few apps (none of which were particularly large). The HTC DNA has no trouble playing 1080p MPEG4 high quality video or playing today's cutting edge 3D games. Since this isn't a Tegra CPU, you won't get the special effects like water reflections and splashes in TegraZone games, but we can live with that. More Specs at a Glance The phone has a 2020 mAh battery, dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, a GPS and NFC that's not compatible with Google Wallet. As you'd expect from HTC, it has Beats audio that kicks in when you plug in headphones and there's a 2.5v audio preamp inside. The DNA has 3G EV-DO Rev. A and 4G LTE on Verizon and it's a world phone than can handle GSM/HSPA roaming abroad. The Droid DNA has a wide angle front 2.1MP camera and an excellent rear 8MP camera with BSI, fast f/2.0 lens and 28mm wide angle lens. The Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC Droid DNA and Samsung Galaxy Note II. Design and Ergonomics The Droid DNA has a sealed unibody design with a soft touch charcoal black back. It’s a stunner and feels great in hand, though it doesn’t look quite as interesting as the polycarbonate unibody design of the One X. At 0.38” it’s extremely slim for a big phone and we love the metallic red stripes on the side along with the red rear camera lens ring and top power button. The DNA makes the shiny plastic Note II and Galaxy S III look a little cheap: HTC has always been good at premium materials. Where does the Note II pull ahead? For those of you who enjoy the Wacom digital pen, you won’t find that here. You also won’t get the Note II’s neato side-by-side app view or the ability to play video in a floating window on top of any app. Unlike the HTC One X and One X+, the camera lens is flush so the phone doesn’t wobble when resting on its back on a desk or table. The perforated red metal side strips might look like incredibly thin speaker grilles, but the speaker is actually located on the back near the bottom where you’ll find it on most phones. The red metal power button sits on the top edge, and while it looks very nice, it’s also hard to press because it’s nearly flush with the casing and has little travel. The same is true of the volume controls on the upper right side. The 3.5mm audio jack, micro SIM card slot (requires the included tool or a paperclip to open) and two mic holes live up top. The micro USB port and another mic hole live on the bottom edge.

HTC Droid DNA Video Review

Voice and Data Call quality is excellent for incoming calls with full audio and good volume, but we found outgoing volume to be average with some occasional digitization of voice. It’s nothing to worry about, but the DNA doesn’t stand out above the crowd of solid smartphones on the market for outgoing voice quality. Data speeds on Verizon’s LTE 4G network are par for the course, which is to say very good, though Verizon trails AT&T for LTE speeds at the moment in our area. The HTC Droid DNA manages the same speeds as the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX HD and Galaxy S III according to the Speedtest.net app (13Mbps down and 5.7Mbps up). This is a world phone that also works on GSM and HSPA+ networks for you world travelers. Our review unit actually worked with an AT&T SIM card (Verizon usually turns off compatibility with US GSM carriers). This may be because we have a pre-release phone, so no promises it will work for you. We suspect it’s a pre-release issue because after using an AT&T SIM card and enjoying HSPA+ data on AT&T’s network, we had to hard reset the phone (wipe it out and start fresh) to get it to register on Verizon’s network again. Display and Sound This is undeniably one of the best mobile displays on the planet. At a mind-boggling 440 ppi, you won’t find anything sharper than this, not even the 264ppi iPad with Retina Display. The full 1080p means you can watch full HD movies without scaling—on a phone. Wow. The fused glass on the Super LCD3 display makes images look painted on, much like the HTC One X and iPhone 5. Viewing angles are very wide and colors are rich and more natural than on Super AMOLED displays. The display’s sides have a subtle curve (again like the One X and also like the Nokia Lumia 920) and it looks cool. We haven’t had any problems with dust getting stuck in the crevices where the glass meets the phone’s body. The display has good brightness, but it’s not particularly gifted at fighting bright sunlight (the Nokia Lumia 920 and iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 get that honor). Glare and reflections are relatively well controlled on the gloss Gorilla Glass 2 display. The Droid DNA has a 2.5v audio pre-amp and Beats audio, but that magic shines through headphones rather than the rear speaker. That’s not to say the speaker isn’t fairly loud and full for a phone, but it doesn’t raise the bar either. Sound through the headset jack is top notch with a decent set of headphones: audio is not only crazy loud (be nice to your ears and avoid max volume), but it’s rich and full. This isn’t the mindlessly heavy Beats audio of old, but something more balanced and pleasing for a wide variety of music. Yes, bass is still more than ample, but the clarity of trebles and the faint whispers of background tracks like a brush on cymbals suddenly become clear and present. Camera HTC puts excellent cameras into their high end smartphones, and their Android camera app is top notch for offering myriad shooting options, including HDR and the ability to capture photos while simultaneously shooting video. The rear camera can shoot 1080p video at 30fps, though in low light the frame rate may drop. The rear camera has a BSI sensor and a fast f/2.0 lens to further improve low light photography. Indeed, the 8 megapixel camera with LED flash can take some compelling night shots of street scenes and moody bars, though we noted more noise than with the supremely impressive Lumia 920. That said, the DNA’s night sky blacks look black rather than noisy gray, and that makes for a very striking evening capture. Benchmarks   Quadrant GLBenchmark 2.1Egypt Offscreen AnTuTu Sunspider JavaScript Test HTC Droid DNA 7823 78 pfs (v.2.5 used) 14,578 1146 Samsung Galaxy Note II 6001 66 pfs (v.2.5 used) 14,056 1052 LG Optimus G 7235 59 pfs (v.2.5 used) 11,087 1289 HTC EVO 4G LTE 5086 56 fps 7001 1650 Motorola Droid RAZR HD 5055 51 fps 6760 1862 HTC One X 5001 56 fps 7074 1617 Samsung Galaxy S III 5102 51 fps 7011 1825 Battery Life As with other recent HTC unibody phones, the battery is sealed inside, so you can’t swap in a spare as needed on the road. As a consolation, the 2020 mAh Lithium Ion Polymer battery has good stamina despite the big high res display and 4G LTE. Chalk that up to excellent power management and the Qualcomm S4 Pro’s power frugalness. Like most powerful, big screen smartphones, you’ll likely have to charge the phone nightly with moderate use (some calling, web, push email, music and 30 minutes of video playback), but we routinely ran the phone from 8am to 10pm without running out of power. Conclusion After two weeks using the HTC Droid DNA, I can safely say it’s one of my top smartphone picks for 2012 and early 2013. This is not only a fast phone with the latest quad core Qualcomm S4 CPU, but it has a class-leading 1080p display that’s a feast for the eyes. At 5”, you might think this is an unwieldy phone, but it’s much more hand-friendly than the Samsung Galaxy Note II, and not that much bigger than 4.7 and 4.8” Android smartphones like the HTC One X+ and Samsung Galaxy SIII. The design is elegant, the build quality is excellent and it’s a pleasure to hold and use. As long as you can live with the 16 gigs of storage, I highly recommend the DNA.