Google Listen has been discontinued

We've known for a while now that Google doesn't really care too much about podcasts, and today we got another bit of evidence to prove it as the company has officially discontinued its lone podcast app, Google Listen, which had been mostly ignored anyway. Both the Zune Marketplace and iTunes are great repositories for podcasts, but unlike its competitors, Google doesn't really care to give users any sort of podcasts in its Play Store, and now won't even offer an official Google podcast app. 

Of course, that's perfectly fine. It's really about time that Google killed off the app, which had been born as a Google Labs project back in 2009. The app was always extremely barebones, and one of the best things about it was that it was free, which isn't really much of a separator in the Play Store. So, Google is pulling the plug, because there are plenty of alternatives in the Play Store. 

According to the release, the app will continue to function if you have it installed, but it has been removed from the Play Store, and as of November 1st, the search function will stop working. But, the good news is that because Listen always used Google Reader to save your podcast subscriptions, those will stick around, and you can save them whenever you'd like.

source: Google

Cricket Wireless launches Huawei Ascend Q

Thanks to a rather poor economy, pre-paid carriers have enjoyed a pretty steady stream of new customers. Thanks to Android, these days most pre-paid carriers offer some decent smartphones and Cricket can even sell you an Apple iPhone 4S. But if you're looking for an entry-level model for the back-to-school student or the new convert to smartphones, Cricket Wireless is now offering the Huawei Ascend Q. 

The Huawei Ascend Q

The form factor is unlike what you might find on a traditional Android model, resembling more of a BlackBerry model with the portrait QWERTY underneath the 3.2 inch display (with a resolution of 320 x 480). The pixel density is a rather poor 180ppi. Under the hood is a single-core 800MHz processor and the device offers a 32GB capacity microSD card. A 3.2MP camera adorns the back of the unit. This unit supports the Cricket Wireless 3G network while a 4GB microSD card is included out of the box. 3GB of that is needed for Muve Music.

The Huawei Ascend Q is $139.95 from Cricket and can be used for the carrier's $55 a month unlimited talk, text and data plan. Add another $10 bucks and you can get unlimited talk, text data and Muve Music. The latter is a service that allows users to download tunes from a library of millions.

source: Cricket via AndroidCommunity, SlashPhone

Sprint follows suit by selling the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for free

Although it’s hard to imagine it sometimes, especially when it was the talk of the town a little over 6 months ago, it’s not uncommon to find the Samsung Galaxy Nexus priced for free with a contract. In fact, Best Buy recently brought its price to the oh-so lovable price point of free with a 2-year contract.

Interestingly enough, Sprint is following accordingly by bringing its version to the same price. Taking a quick peek at Sprint’s web site today, we find the memorableSamsung Galaxy Nexus selling for free to those looking to start a new line of service with the carrier. Obviously, there might be some people soured by the new revelation, especially if they bought the handset not too long ago, but nevertheless, that’s simply the name of the game in the wireless industry.

Still regarded as a relevant device in this day and age, the only thing now that prospective owners might be looking forward to, is the expansion of Sprint’s 4G LTE network. Since it’s one of the main highlights with the smartphone, it’d be great to see the network being aggressively pushed out. Hey, at least the price tag of being free is a gift of its own.

Thanks to our anonymous tipster!

source: Sprint

HTC One S Rooted

The HTC One S has yet to be released officially but Android ROM developer and modder Paul “Modaco” O’Brien has already made sure it will be rooted once consumers get their hands on them.

Modaco was also the one who rooted the HTC One X ahead of release, and now he’s announced that the method he’s using is also possible in rooting the HTC One S.

The bootloader, however, needs to be unlocked first, but that is unlikely to be a problem with HTC.

The HTC One S may not be at the top level of HTC’s high-end offering but it packs a punch with its 1.5Ghz dual core processor and Super AMOLED panel.

Via: Android Community