Daily News Courier

New Nexus 4? Be sure to try out Box.net with 50GB of free storage

No, you're not dreaming, the Nexus 4 really has been on sale in the Play Store for over 2 weeks straight with no supply issues. We know that in the last couple of weeks, more people have probably picked it up than in the last couple of months, and that means there are a whole lot of new Nexus users out there. One of the big promotions that Box.net started running back in November still applies though, and everyone with a new LG device — including the Nexus 4 — can take advantage of 50GB of free storage just for downloading the app and logging in.

Stick around after the break and check out a few of the high points of the Box.net app, and see if it's worth a shot to get some free storage.

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Android 4.2.2 is currently rolling out to Nexus devices

It appears an incremental upgrade to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean is now pushing out to several Google Nexus devices including the Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Galaxy Nexus, and Nexus 4.

The update is aptly titled Android 4.2.2 and it isn’t Key Lime Pie, but the 47MB update should provide some important bug fixes for Bluetooth and stability in general.  Specifically, the Bluetooth streaming issue is known and acknowledged by Google and the 4.2.2 update should address this.

As usual, the update will roll out in waves to users running stock Android on either tablet or either Nexus smartphone (provided it is GSM unlocked).  In addition, it is currently rolling out to AOSP and should be uploaded shortly.

[AndroidPolice]

Related Stories

• T-Mobile has the LG Nexus 4 for $50 on contract until Feb. 18
• Nexus 4 availability expands to European markets
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update rolling out to Samsung Galaxy Nexus users on Verizon

Canalys: Android accounts for 70% of smartphone market and 34% of all phones shipped in Q4 2012

image credit Epsilon Creations

Canalys is in the business of counting things. Things like how many of each make of smartphone gets shipped, and what operating system runs on them. We're glad they do it so we don't have to, and they do a great job keeping everyone abreast of how the market breaks out for each category they measure by. They have released the tally for Q4 2012, and as expected, Android continues to dominate the market. In Q4 of last year, 70-percent of all smartphones shipped were running some flavor of Android on them. If you've been following along, you're not surprised.

What is surprising is some of the other facts one can get from their latest report. Like the fact that of all phones shipped during the quarter Android was running on 34-percent of them. That means that one of every three phones sold are smartphones running Android, and that's important. Android was designed to get the Internet into the hands of the people. To get the to ditch their "dumb" phones (I hate that label) and step up into an entry level smartphone. Seeing Android at 34-percent of the total means that people are doing just that — ditching the old messaging phone for something more fitting the 21st century. These are the phones we forget about, or ask "why?" when we see them getting released. We shouldn't. They are important phones for the future of Android.

Another little-talked about fact from today's report? Huawei is now in the number three spot (behind Samsung and Apple, in that order) of smart phones shipped. Look out for them — they will be coming in hard and have some awesome things to show us.

For the rest of the numbers and where everyone places in the race for market share, hit the source link and check out the report.

Source: canalys

Food, fuel running short in Syria

CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen reports on the supply shortages in Damascus as the civil war drags on.

Android 4.0 and higher nears 50-percent adoption, 2.3 still the largest share

Right on schedule, the Android Developers Dashboard has reported the share of devices running each version of Android as of February 4, 2013. These numbers are measured based on the number of users accessing Google Play within a 14 day period, which is a great indication of devices being actively used. As you can see in the chart above, Android 4.0 and higher is nearing the 50-percent mark, at 42.6-percent currently. Gingerbread is still holding down the top spot at 45.6-percent, but we're nearing the point where device running Gingerbread will be overtaken by versions with the new design language.

As you'll see in the graph after the break, the share of Gingerbread devices is slowly but surely decreasing, making way for a notably quick Jelly Bean advancement. Jelly Bean (both 4.1 and 4.2) total up to 13.6-percent of devices, surely helped by the success of the Nexus 7 and notable updates to popular devices like the Galaxy S3.

Source: Android Developers Dashboard

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US Cellular wants to pay you $300 to switch carriers

U.S. Cellular is hoping to compel some users to head over to its network by offering $300 to families that bring along two or more lines and activate a smartphone. The incentive comes in the form of a prepaid MasterCard debit card, which is probably better than other ways they could've done it, although we may have preferred to have it put on your bill as a credit for service.

The promotion U.S. Cellular is running right now also includes several other incentives. New and existing customers living in LTE markets can take advantage of the carrier's unlimited data plans for $40 per month. The carrier says that 58-percent of its customers currently have LTE coverage, and that number will be almost 90-percent by the end of 2013. There are a few device discounts going on currently as well, with the Huawei Ascend Y for $0.01 and the Samsung Galaxy S III (with LTE) for $149.99.

If you've been thinking about moving to U.S. Cellular, now may be the time. These smaller and regional carriers tend to put together some pretty decent incentive packages to get new customers in.

Source: U.S. Cellular

Temple Run 2 is now available to help Android users procrastinate

Just as we anticipated, the critically acclaimed Temple Run 2 is now available in the Google Play Store.  It succeeds the original Temple Run game and offers users the same classic game play, but improves upon graphics and includes different environments for the character to traverse.

If you are interested in playing Temple Run 2 on your Android device, then feel free to check out the Play Store link below.  It requires that your smartphone and/or tablet is running at least Android 2.1 or higher.  Just as a side note, Androinica is not responsible for how many hours you may waste by playing Temple Run 2.

[Google Play Store]

Related Stories

• Temple Run 2 expected to launch on Jan. 24 in the Google Play Store
• Google Play Store launches end of summer promotion, several big titles participate
• Google Play now offers select free digital magazine subscriptions for print subscribers

More Sense 5 screenshots

Following today's leak of an unreleased version of Sense 5 running on the Droid DNA, we're now seeing more screenshots from users claiming to have their hands on the software as well. Member mdeejay at XDA has just put up several screenshots of what is said to be a stable build of Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5 running on the Verizon phone, as ported from — wait for it — a Sprint version of the rumored M7.

We're not sure if that answers more questions than it creates, but it certainly gives us a lot to think about. This probably isn't the last leak (or purported leak) we'll see in the coming weeks, as HTC is likely set to show off a number of new devices at MWC in February. You can take a gander at several more screenshots at the source link below.

Source: XDA

‘HTC Sense 5′ spotted on Droid DNA in China

Following the leaked images of a new version of HTC Sense running on what seems to be HTC's upcoming "M7" flagship, another photo has emerged apparently showing Sense 5 on Verizon's Droid DNA. The shot surfaced via the user "LeakROMs" on Chinese social network Weibo, and it's a dead ringer for the software pictured on the supposed M7 device just a few hours ago. In addition to the re-worked icons, we can also see the new Sense weather widget and a home screen split into dedicated sections for social networking, news and tutorials.

Now, this is far from official confirmation that Sense 5 is headed to 2012 devices line the DNA. But it seems to show someone, somewhere is experimenting with a new version of HTC's UI on existing handsets.

Who knows what form the finalized version of Sense 5 might take, but the prevalence of this design across multiple leaks suggests HTC is re-working its software from the ground up. We'll keep you apprised of any further details, and we'll be live from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, where HTC is expected to publicly unveil its 2013 line-up.

Source: LeakROMS; via: HTCSource

Rush to save 11 trapped killer whales

Time is running short for a pack of killer whales trapped by ice near a small Canadian village on Hudson Bay, the town’s mayor said Wednesday.