The Samsung Galaxy S3 is about the most anticipated device of 2012, and it was only a matter of time before someone got a hold of all the new features it comes with. The guys at XDA Developers have managed to get the device’s full stock firmware, and it is now up for grabs.

Simply put, this is a gold mine for custom ROM developers. They will be able to take advantage of all software features, like Smart Stay and S-Voice. Devs are working on it as we speak, so let the fun begin.

We will also be able to extract all those .apk files. People have already extracted S-Voice and it is working with other devices. It does seem to have its fair share of issues, though. It should mostly work with other Samsung smartphones. Users can download it here if they are feeling adventurous.

If you want to download all 786 MB of Galaxy S3 glory, just head over to the XDA Developers thread and have at it! At least to look around until we start seeing it being ported to all other devices.

[Source: XDA Developers Via: Android Police]

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After the big Galaxy S  III announcement we knew it would only be a short amount of time before the cool software features were pulled from the phone for use across other Android devices. One of the more noteworthy GSIII features is the S-Voice app, basically Samsung’s version of Siri. Thanks to XDA member Ascarface23, we now have a working S-Voice apk that has been tested to work on various Android 4.0.4 roms across various devices. I was able to successfully install the app on my Galaxy Nexus running the latest AOKP rom and it has also been reported to work on CM9 as well. If you want to check out this great GSIII feature for yourself, grab the download below.

Download: voicetalk.apk

How to install: You can either install it through the Android package installer like any other 3rd party app but reports suggest it is better to install it as a system app. T install as a system app do the following:

1. Make a nandroid backup! (just to be safe)
2. Download the apk on your SD card
3. Using a file manager, copy/paste into system/app
4. Longpress the apk file from Within system/app, select “permissions” and change to r-w, r, r

Side note: I should mention one thing from my brief experience with the app. Don’t try to change the wake up command because that will usually result in a force close situation and you will have to reinstall and start over. I would just leave it at “hi Galaxy” and just be happy that it works.

source: XDA

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After hearing all the hubbub surrounding Verizon’s plan to cut off unlimited data, T-Mobile’s VP of marketing Andrew Sherrard decided it was the right time to announce that they are on the side of the consumer and agree that shared data is not the way to go. Talking to T-Mobile’s Issues & Insights Blog, Sherrard acknowledged that consumers do not want to share a lump sum of data, nor would it beneficial in a family data plan model.  Not only does he disagree with Verizon’s recent announcement, Sherrard brings up a really good point. “Do families really want to keep track of each others’ data consumption? We don’t think so. Just imagine mom’s email is suddenly unavailable because her teenage son watched an HD movie on his phone, consuming the family’s data allotment.” Sherrard also said that T-Mobile has no plans to go the way of AT&T and Verizon. They will be sticking with individual data packages and have no desire to implement huge overage charges for those who exceed their data limit. Instead, they choose to use the equally controversial method of “throttling.”

Without knowing what Verizon’s exact plans are for shared data it is hard for me to pass judgement as of yet. What if us Verizon customers are given an option to get a higher amount of data that we can share across our tablets and smartphones at a lesser cost than what we are paying for multiple data plans? On the other end of the spectrum, if you are a one-device data user and want to maintain your unlimited data, I don’t think buying your next Android device at full retail price is a reasonable trade-off either. Maybe it’s time to start looking into a T-Mobile account or the other option that keeps becoming more and more appealing – a pre-paid plan

Does knowing the carriers full stance toward data limits have you looking for a new plan or carrier?  Let us know what you think, or plan to do, in the comments below.

source: T-Mobile

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Well Facebook just seems to be on a roll lately. The Social Network is purchasing companies left and right, with the most recent including Instagram and Lightbox. But now they have decided to acquire Karma, a social gifting app.

Simply put, Karma allows users to connect to Facebook via their app and send people gifts. Why would Facebook want this service? Surely, Facebook could further integrate this service to create more revenue from gift sales. Karma states that the app will continue to run as usual, but now with a stronger backbone.

It seems like the Social Network is trying to get its hands anywhere they can, so we would not be surprised to see Facebook purchasing more services soon. Meanwhile, people are getting upset at the Giant. Interesting concept: We can cry and kick all we want, but we can’t stop using Facebook. And it is spreading its wings to other areas of the inter webs now.

[Source: Karma Via: Engadget]

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Boy, this legal stuff can get confusing. Let’s take it from the beginning and walk through it. First, we know that the HTC One X and the Evo 4G LTE are currently held up in customs while they check whether the devices violate an ITC exclusion order Apple was granted last December.

Then we heard the ITC has decided to ban the import of Motorola Android phones for infringing on patents by Microsoft, joining HTC in the “import ban” club. FOSS Patents said this order could likely go into effect in 60 days. It’s also possible Motorola could tweak the software to comply with the ITC’s rulings during those 60 days.

As more details were revealed, we now learn that Motorola was found NOT to infringe on 8 patents in the Microsoft case, and only infringed on one specific patent for “generating meeting requests and group scheduling from a mobile device“. This verdict is now under Presidential review, and is subject to appeal. Motorola said in a statement to ArsTechnica:

Although we are disappointed by the Commission’s ruling that certain Motorola Mobility products violated one patent, we look forward to reading the full opinion to understand its reasoning. Motorola Mobility will not experience any impact in the near term, as the Commission’s ruling is subject to a $0.33/per unit bond during the 60 day Presidential review period. We will explore all options including appeal.

In other words, there are still viable choices left for Motorola, including modifying software, or appeal. The fight’s not over yet. Unfortunately, the ones who are already losing are us…the customers.

source: foss patents

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