| We can’t think of a better time than now to buy a new phone. Whether you’re looking to upgrade and get yourself a new smartphone,or thinking about giving one to your loved-one as a gift,we’ve got great options for you. How are those New Year’s resolutions you made a few weeks ago going so far? If you resolved to do a better job of managing your finances in 2012,or to be a better student this year,you’ll like the tips &tricks guides we shared this week. Check them out here:  Manage Your Finances on the Go
From great apps to using the built-in tools already on your smartphone,this guide will help you get on the path to better finances in 2012  The Art of Studying:Tools,Tips,&Tricks
Winter break is long-since over,but it’s not too late make this semester count by trying out some new techniques and tools for studying. Everyone has their own learning style,so try these out and see what works for you. 
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Well folks,it’s almost February. Technically,we’re still in the dead of winter – here in Minnesota,March is actually the snowiest month of the year. However,as an amateur radio operator and a NWS certified storm spotter,I’m already thinking about thunderstorms and tornadoes. I’ve been scouring the Android Market for over two years for [...]
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Alawar Entertainment has just release two new games onto the Android Market called Naught and Sparky vs. Glutters. Both games feature some pretty good art in them,especially Naught with is a black &white dark game with an evil looking cat. Read more… 
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In the midst of its ”Stop Online Piracy Act”/”E-PARASITE Act” (SOPA) and “The PROTECT IP Act” (PIPA) protest,WIkipedia,the most popular online encyclopedia released the Official WIkipedia App for Android. As everybody know,WIkipedia offers free online encyclopedia reference with over 20 million articles in its repository and covers around 280 different languages. Now,after more than two years of waiting since the Wikipedia App for iOS came out in 2009,Android-based users can finally utilize the official Wikipedia App on their devices courtesy of Wikimedia Foundation. With the emergence of the officially released software,searching through Wikipedia’s vast resources just became simple and quick. The Android App which right now is on Version 1.0,is guaranteed to work on all Android devices from Android 2.2 or Froyo up to the latest although we are yet to hear any feedback from those loaded with Ice Cream Sandwich. Some of the salient features that the app has include: - Saving article to read later or offline;
- Searching for articles nearby;
- Sharing articles using Android “Share” function;
- Reading of article/s in a different language;and
- Full screen search
According to the developer,one of the highlights of the app is the inclusion of location-based feature which can prove to be particularly useful when making searches that concerns places or locations. The Wikipedia App is available for free just like its iOS and mobile counterpart. While looking at some of the reviews and feedback from those who tried and tested the app,we have seen a lot of happy users. With merely 558kb in size,it should take very little time to download and install. Having been released just a few days ago,the app already falls within the 100,000 to 500,000 installs range. Notably,it just goes to show how Android users have been eagerly waiting for this software. The app still leaves a lot of room for improvement in terms of UI and other functionalities but knowing WIkipedia,we assume that the team is already working on them. Click the link to download the App from the Android Market. 
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Madfinger Games has released the much anticipated expansion to Shadowgun called Shadowgun:The Leftover onto the Android Market today. For those of you who currently own Shadowgun,this expansion brings a bunch of new things to the game. Read more… 
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Hacking is half (or more) the fun for many an Android user. With the right phone,you can change just about everything,making it have little resemblance to the way it came out of the box. It's fun and addicting for the same reason computer tweaking and hacking is —we do it because we can. There's a good chance many of you guys reading this are the same way. The simple fact that you found an Android site on the Internet makes you a more informed user,and you're exposed to all this hacking jazz. There's as good a chance that you… Continue Reading Here
Late night poll:Do you hack your Android phone?
Jerry Hildenbrand –androidcentral.com 
Go to Source Right before we enter into the weekend,we get a juicy bit of news. Apparently,the Samsung SPH-D705 –otherwise known as the Epic 4G 2 –has popped up in the Cellebrite system indicating the device could be launching sometime in the very near future. Before you get mixed up,keep in mind we’re talking about the sequel to the OG Samsung EPIC 4G that was launched on Sprint and Verizon. Remember that big boned device? The one with the QWERTY keyboard? Originally,the device was rumored to hit Sprint sometime during Q3 of 2011,but that came and went without neither hide nor hair of the Epic 4G 2. It further received its WiFi certification but still… Continue Reading Here
Samsung Epic 4G 2 (SPH-D705) Shows Up In Cellbrite System – Where’s It Headed?
Chris Chavez –phandroid.com 
Go to Source Amazon Wireless has just dropped the price of both the black and white versions of the Samsung Epic 4G Touch Galaxy S II on Sprint. Arguably the best handset on the carrier,the black Epic 4G Touch is actually being offered for slightly less than its pale sibling,coming in at only for new customers. If you’re looking to add a line the device goes up to 0 and for customers looking to upgrade,the device can be had for 0. Pretty much the same goes for the white version except that whether you’re a new customer or looking to add a line,the device will still run you 0. All-in-all,this is the lowest we’ve seen the device listed where … Continue Reading Here
Deal Alert:Samsung Epic 4G Touch Now Only $80 On Amazon Wireless
Chris Chavez –phandroid.com 
Go to Source Internet radio usage has been on the rise with apps like Pandora and TuneIn Radio. The reason these apps have become so popular is because people like listening to music that relates to a specific song or genre. The major downfall with most of the applications out there is that the playlists are generated by an algorithm,rather than actual human beings. This method unfortunately lacks personalization and doesn’t quite feel as intimate as music should be. Wouldn’t it be much more attractive to have your playlists created by real music listeners? This is where 8tr… Continue Reading Here
Handcraft Your Internet Radio With 8tracks
Brendan Lynch –android.appstorm 
Go to Source Could this be what we have been waiting for? We had heard that Samsung may release the 2GHz Exynos 5250 processor sometime during Q2 of this year,but could it also be flaunted at this Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month? It makes perfect sense that it would,because it still follows the chip’s estimated public release date. A 2GHz chip could change everything,especially when it is said to nearly double the performance of the current ones out there. Even more,the graphical rendering could improve by up to 4X!. NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 quad-core processor is a powerhouse,but something in me is saying this one will put it to shame. The tablet… Continue Reading Here
Samsung could unveil 2GHz tablet at MWC 2012
Sam Koutroulakis –androidcommunity.com 
Go to Source In case you missed Pocketnow’s initial impressions with Sense 4.0 (read:snoozefest) there was a little tidbit of information that even we initially looked over our first time reading through. One reader brought it to our attention that in between all those letters and punctuation,in plain black and white —you know,because there were no pictures —was the news that Dropbox will be giving Sense 4.0 users 50 sweet GB of delictable cloud storage. Yeah,I couldn’t believe my eyes either. There’s a few things I absolutely cannot live without in this crazy mixed up world of ours and one of those is Dropbox. I love it. I swear by it. An… Continue Reading Here
In Case You Missed It:Dropbox Will Give Sense 4.0 Users 50GB Of Cloud Storage
Chris Chavez –phandroid.com 
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Meet Thorstein Heins,the poor sap who just took over RIM. Thorstein is to be RIM’s saving grace,using his “hip”guy attitude he is supposed to turn RIM’s image around. However,if you take into account his recent interview with Crackberry,it’s obvious that like his predecessors he’s pretty much oblivious to the competition. Take this quote for example. Just take a look where the Android OEMs are. I leave this to you. Take a look at their recent announcements and what you will immediately see is there is just no room for differentiation because they are all the same.
Well Thorstein,either you’re confusing Android with the one size fits all iPhone,or you’re just plain wrong. Haven’t you heard your own customers crying fowl at Android for fragmentation? The only way you could legitimately qualify that statement is if your were to belittle it to the point where “Why yes,they are all phones.”Oh wait except for the tablets,and the TVs,and the cameras,and the car stereos….. If anything differentiation isn’t an issue for Android,its easily the most diverse mobile OS in existence. We saw a range of devices this past year big and small,3D cameras and screens,and who could forget the Kyocera Echo. Honestly Thorstein why do you even try to make a point of this? Do you not only not know the competition but also your own product line? Exhibit A:
 I don’t see much differentiation there. Look Mr. Heins,I’d like to see you,quote,“Rock and Roll This”I really would. Competition benefits all of us. Seeing as how you’re adamantly against adopting Android though,well,best of luck in your endeavors. 
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When will these Transformer Prime owners get a break? Earlier on we saw severe GPS issues,and now the community is very aware of the random lock-ups so many seem to get after the Android 4.0 update. We haven’t seen any issues with our own models,but that doesn’t disprove the hundreds of posts over in an XDA Developers thread claiming the same obvious problem. ASUS has responded via Gary Key,technical manager,that a fix will be out sometime at the beginning of February. To top it off,Bluetooth and WiFi are having issues functioning simultaneously as well. Hopefully,the fixes come batched together. If the Transformer Prime wasn’t so amaz… Continue Reading Here
ASUS Transformer Prime ‘lock-up’problem to be fixed in February
Sam Koutroulakis –androidcommunity.com 
Go to Source With MWC approaching,Samsung Galaxy S III rumors have been all over the news but none of them offered anything concrete about when it will release. Some Samsung executive revealed during an earning call that his company is currently reviewing details about the launch of the GSIII without specifying when it will happen. If history repeats itself,the Galaxy S III will carry model number GT-I9300 as the previous two models had the GT-I91xx (Galaxy S II) and GT-I90xx (Galaxy S) numbers. So it looks like the Korean manufacturer may jump right into the I9300 model number which mad… Continue Reading Here
Galaxy S III makes an appearance on Samsung’s Support page
Zack Nebbaki –droidmatters.com 
Go to Source This meme is certainly making a strong case to be one of the biggest of 2012. Sure,the first episode of “Sh*t Girls Say”was uploaded at the end of last year,but who’s counting really? The results that Google yields when you start typing “Sh*t People Say”are as far-ranging in quality as they are in topic. SEE ALSO:15 Best ‘Sh*t People Say’ Videos We’re sure you’ve got your own favorite quotes from the wide array of videos out there. These 15 favorites (and an honorable mention for each) should get the conversation started. The original that started a whole sh*t revolution. Many great lines,tough to choose a favorite,but this one stood out. Honorable Mention: “You’re the best!” Click here to view this gallery. More About:features,funny,humor,memes,quotes,videos For more Entertainment coverage: 
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LG’s Optimus 3D had two rear shooters capable of taking 3D video,and now the company plans on offering a successor some time in the near future. As of now,it will be called the LG 3D Max. As you can see,‘Optimus’has now been removed. The new device should not only sport a couple better rear shooters,but other upgrades as well. The Optimus 3D only ran a 1GHz TI OMAP,whereas the new 3D Max is predicted to be clocked at 1.2GHz. The display will remain at 4.3 inches,but will certainly support a better resolution than the former 480×800. It will undoubtedly have the LG 3D UI,or even an updated version. While official specs are still k… Continue Reading Here
LG Optimus 3D to be succeeded by the 3D Max
Sam Koutroulakis –androidcommunity.com 
Go to Source The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion,please see the details here.  Name: ZangZing
Quick Pitch: Store and share your photos from multiple services in one place. Genius Idea: Makes it easy to create and share group albums using email.
Some of my photos are stored on Instagram. Many more are saved across Facebook,iPhoto,Picasa,Flickr,Dropbox and in a stationary box on top of my dresser. Earlier this week,I used ZangZing,a photo storage and sharing app,to bring them all together. (Well,most of them. The printed ones remain in the stationary box.) The clean,intuitively designed web app lets you quickly import your photos from your computer,iPhoto,Picasa,Facebook (including your friends’photos),Flickr,Instagram,Shutterfly,Kodak,MobileMe,SmugMug,Photobucket and Dropbox. You can also automatically share out new uploads to Facebook,Twitter and email. While it’s nice to have all my photos in one place,the best part about ZangZing is its group photo-sharing features. When you create a public or private album,you have the option to invite others to contribute. Friends can simply send a reply email to your album’s designated address (i.e.,albumname@yourusername.zangzing.com) —no signup required —or they can head over to the album’s URL to import photos from any of the previously mentioned services that ZangZing supports. It’s an easy way to gather shots from a big group event like,say,a baseball game or a birthday party,particularly for those whose familiarity with the web doesn’t extend much beyond email. 
Once photos are uploaded,viewers can leave comments and download high-resolution versions from the album. ZangZing does have some drawbacks. It’s not easy to sort albums after you’ve uploaded your photos,for one thing,and there’s no option to create sub-folders. The service won’t automatically import any of your new uploads to Instagram,etc.;you’ll have to reimport them yourself. The site also isn’t fully optimized for mobile,although that —as well as an iPhone app —are currently in the works,ZangZing CEO and co-founder Joseph Ansanelli says. 
The site launched in private beta last April,and launched version 2.0 last month. Unlike just about every other startup we write about,the company isn’t banking on ads or brand partnerships to support itself:Instead,ZangZing is hoping users will purchase prints and other photo products through the site. The startup is also planning to introduce a freemium payment model mid-year that would let users expand their storage space. Users are given 2 gigabytes of storage at signup,and can earn another 8 gigabytes by signing up friends. After that,they can opt to pay $5 per month (or $50 per year) for 25 additional gigs,or $10 per month ($100 per year) for 50 gigs on top of that.
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark,a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools,as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs,so if your business is privately owned,less than three years old,and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue,you can sign up today. More About:bizspark,ZangZing 
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Each day,Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks. An extensively choreographed “It Gets Better”music video —set to Lady Gaga‘s “Hair”—gained steam Friday after the mega pop star gave it her seal of approval on Twitter. This is so AMAZING tinyurl.com/7jd638s #HairMusicVideo you guys did such an amazing job for #ItGetsBetter. The Choreo! I died! —Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) January 27,2012
The clip hit YouTube on Thursday,but the making of the video has been well documented on Facebook since August thanks to the project’s mastermind Colton Boettcher,who routinely posted updates on the CeeJbee Productions’Facebook page. The It Gets Better Project is an online campaign aimed at providing supportive messages for LGBT high school students who are facing discrimination and bullying. Since launching in 2010,It Gets Better has gained support from celebrities,athletes,the tech world and everyday people alike. SEE ALSO:San Francisco Giants Are First MLB Team To Say “It Gets Better” Boettcher teamed up with the LGBT community in Madison,Wis.,and the It Gets Better Project to create the music video that looks like it came directly out of an episode of Glee. “I want to let you know that it does get better,”Boettcher says at the end of the video. “We made this video in response to the number of suicides of gay kids in high school. …I’m gay and number of other people in this music video are also gay and we’re OK. We love our life.”
Bonus:Google Chrome’s “It Gets Better”Video
This “It Gets Better”video from the Google Chrome team aired during an episode of Glee in May 2011. More About:Entertainment,it gets better,LGBT,music video,viral videos,viral-video-of-the-day For more Entertainment coverage: 
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According to an XDA thread that has over 400 replies,the ASUS Transformer Prime‘s recent Android 4.0 update has left many users experiencing random lock-ups. Fortunately I personally haven’t had any issues with my Prime freezing up,but the widespread forum complaints have definitely gotten ASUS’attention. ASUS technical manager Gary Key has confirmed company plans to hopefully “have a fix available in early February.”So if you are one of the folks having problems,help is reportedly on the way. Along with the lock-up acknowledgment,ASUS is also aware of an issue with Wi-Fi degradation when streaming media to a connected Bluetooth device. It seems that when both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios are working simultaneously,they don’t play well with the others presence. And just like the lock-up issue,a fix is in the works and is also due out early next month. It looks like February will be a big month for the Transformer Prime because if you will remember a bootloader unlock tool should be released as well. We will keep you posted as soon as we hear more,but in the meantime if you are having any issues with your Transformer Prime,why don’t you sound off in the comments below. If you want to join in the conversations over at XDA,you can discuss lock-ups here,and WiFi/Bluetooth here. source:xda
via:the verge 
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The make-believe town of Beckinfield is the setting for the Mad Libs-style show of the same name,which uses crowd-sourced amateur actors from all over the world who create the show’s story by posting videos. Writers outline the plot and email a “town happenings”newsletter to actors each week. Each actor tells a small piece of the story in their video,adding their own flair. Related segments are linked together to create a kind of webisode that will be unique to every viewer depending on which videos they watch. Beckinfield is a production of online network Theatrics.com. Friday,at Macworld,director Jonathan Frakes (Ryker of Star Trek fame) presented the winner of Theatrics’“Ultimate Online Audition Contest,”with $10,000 and a vacation to Hollywood,Calif. Entrants selected one of six characters and showcased their acting chops in videos posted to the site. Billed as “mass participation television,”Beckinfield is like a soap opera where anyone can be an actor. Three minute recaps are posted once-per-week on theatrics.com and pick-up where the previous week’s plot line left-off. Here’s the confusing part:There is no one weekly episode. Actors submit their videos to the site,ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. In theory,this lets every viewer creates their own experience. A short summary video is posted the following week. It makes more sense when you consider that Beckinfield was originally created as a tool for actors’character development. Co-creators Bob Gebert and Tracy Evans launched the site at South by Southwest in 2011 —then soon found out how many non-actors wanted to be part of Beckinfield,Evan said. There are around 4,000 actors involved with Beckinfield, although most do not get chosen to be in webisode wrap-ups. You can sign up to be a performer anytime. At the moment,the number of viewers is roughly the same as the number of actors. The question is whether there is a larger audience for do-it-yourself compilations of YouTube videos of varying quality. The movie Life in a Day managed to stitch together a story arc from YouTube videos,drawn from people around the world aiming to document one day on Earth. Life in a Day,however,was a curated experience. Beckinfield is scattered and difficult to follow. Without a clear plot line and no direct character interaction,it seems unlikely the show will garner a mass audience. But it does point to a possible future trend —crowdsourced entertainment. Cable networks have already tuned-in to consumers’eagerness to integrate social media and their favorite TV programs,sometimes known as transmedia. With the integration of social media and television,Evans says it’s possible this will become a niche interest for super-fans who want to act out their favorite characters and create a community who wants to watch the result. What do you think about crowdsourcing talent for a show? Tell us in the comments. Beckinfield “Crowd Sourced TV”  Beckinfield is a crowd-sourced show on theatrics.com. Anyone can audition to be an actor and post a web-cam created video. The videos are linked together to form a story. Click here to view this gallery. More About:Social Media,television,trending,YouTube For more Entertainment coverage: 
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