Factory restoring Nexus 7, SGS III camera shots [From the Forums]

Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.

• Google Nexus 7 Tablet Forums - [GUIDE] Factory Image Restore for your Nexus 7
• HTC EVO 4G LTE Forums - The Good and Bad of a Dual Band Router
• HTC One X Forums -  How do I get html to display in native e-mail app w/ Yahoo Mail?
• Samsung Galaxy S III Forums - Galaxy S III Camera Shots : Lets see them!
• Galaxy Nexus Forums - ClockworkMod 6.0.0.1 Update (Recovery and Touch Recovery)

If you're not already a member of the Android Central forums, you can register your account today.

HTC Desire C announced – delivers Android 4.0, NFC and a 5MP camera on a budget

The HTC Desire C is official. HTC’s new entry-level Android 4.0 handset features a 3.5-inch HVGA (320 x 480) display, 600 MHz Qualcomm processor, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, 5 megapixel camera, Beats Audio, and a 1,230 mAh battery. For those who want to make sure they have the latest technology on their entry-level phone, HTC is also offering an NFC enabled version of the HTC Desire C. The phone will be available in white, black and red once it shows up in stores sometime in June.

The off-contract price for the HTC Desire C is set at £169.99, but UK service providers like T-Mobile, Orange and Three will be giving the phone away for free with plans starting at £15.50 per month.

While the HTC Desire C may aesthetically look like the HTC One series, the handset does not feature a dedicated imaging chip and the advanced performance of the One series. HTC has not announced any plans of bringing the HTC desire C to the U.S. market, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the phone showed up on regional carriers in the next few months.

What do you think of the HTC Desire C? Does the world really need another entry-level Android device?

Show Press Release HTC LAUNCHES Desire C, ITS LATEST smartphone WITH BEATS AUDIO New HTC Desire C – brilliant, entertaining and well connectedLONDON, UK — 15 May 2012 — Following on from the successful launch of the HTC One series, HTC, a global designer of smartphones, today unveiled its latest phone, the HTC Desire C. Featuring Beats Audio™ technology, this premium designed, yet affordable smartphone, allows you to hear your music just as the artist intended. The HTC Desire C also enables you to easily manage your professional and personal lives and share the moments that shape them.Available in red, white and black, and coming with HTC Sense 4.0 integrated with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the HTC Desire C is great as a first smartphone or for those upgrading from an existing one. Packing a powerful battery and offering access to thousands of apps, games, music and movies – available through Google Play – you will always be connected and entertained whether at work, home or on the move.“Listening to music is one of the most popular things people use their phones for, so it’s more important than ever that we deliver the power and emotion artists capture in the studio,” said Jason Mackenzie, President, Global Sales and Marketing for HTC Corporation. “The HTC Desire C offers customers excellent design, easy access to content and fast connectivity – making it the perfect all round device.”Authentic sound without compromiseThe HTC Desire C features a powerful, yet rich studio-quality sound experience that is enabled through the combination of optimized Beats Audio and amazing hardware. This integration enables a rich, clear audio experience to customers no matter if they’re listening to music or playing a game.Premium design taken to a new levelCombining a durable metal frame with precision engineering, the HTC Desire C is ideal for those who want a premium-designed phone. Boasting a micro-drilled earpiece for sharp in-call sound, hyper-viewing angle display and metal camera bezel, this compact smartphone offers an unrivalled level of design and user-experience for its class.Packing the latest mobile technology into a neat, eye-catching design, HTC Desire C’s vibrant 3.5-inch HVGA screen makes it easy to browse the Web, view photos or connect with friends and family. If you like to share personal experiences with your social network, HTC Desire C’s 5 megapixel camera and instant sharing capabilities will allow you to post any moment, seconds after it was captured.Through HTC Desire C’s deep integration of Dropbox and 25GB of free online space, you also have the freedom to securely back-up, browse and share thousands of photos, videos and documents, whether stored locally or in the cloud.Ensuring that HTC Desire C keeps pace with new mobile services as they become available there is also an NFC variant of this model, allowing users to make payments or access information and offers.

HTC One X camera challenge - can you see the difference between a smartphone and a camera?

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AppId is over the quota

HTC is pretty confident in the new camera they introduced in the One series. I have to be honest, they have good reason to be. The camera in the One S is downright spectacular, and really can replace a typical point-and-shoot digicam. It's a wonderful mix of hardware, software, and magic that truly delivers. In fact, HTC is pretty sure you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between pictures taken with the One X and those taken with a stand-alone camera. Hit the link below, run through and see what all the fuss is about.

Source: HTC

Instagram rolls out latest update to address some front facing camera issues and device compatibility

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AppId is over the quota

The latest Instagram for Android update is now available for download in the Google Play Store. This update will be higher priority for those of you out there making use of devices with a front-facing camera. As noted in the change log, it corrects some issues when using the advanced camera option as well as some problems with the reliability of photo filters for certain Galaxy Y and Ace devices. If you fit into either of those sections, or just want to ensure you have the latest installed, you can grab the link below.

read more

HTC launches the HTC One camera challenge

Capturing that perfect moment with an Android phone’s digital camera has always been tough, but HTC seems to think that the new HTC One series has solved the issue. To prove its point, HTC has launched an interactive page on its blog to see if you can tell the difference between pictures taken with an HTC One series device and a “professional digital camera.”

Having used the HTC One S and HTC One X extensively, I was able to easily identify the images which were captured with an HTC One device – achieving a score of 8/10.

There are a few distinct characteristics to look for when trying to identify the images taken by the HTC One, but I don’t want to give them away quite yet. Take the HTC One camera challenge and let us know what you score. Do you think the HTC One lives up to the high expectation HTC has set?

Use your Bluetooth headset as a remote camera shutter on the HTC One series

Whoa! That's pretty slick! If you can't see the video, let me describe it -- a fellow from the Chinese forum ePrice is using a paired Bluetooth headset as a remote camera button on his HTC One X. Not all headsets will work (and unfortunately my Motorola headset falls into that not-working category), and the button combination needed seems to vary a little bit, but this seems to be an undocumented feature with the One series phones. Give it a shot, and holler in the comments if your headset works -- 'cause I need a new one now.

Source: ePrice (Chinese). Thanks, anon!

A lucky few getting their AT&T HTC One X today, check out that camera!

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AppId is over the quota

A number of folks who pre-ordered the AT&T HTC One X are getting their phones delivered today, and while perusing the forums I came across a thread for camera pictures. I've been playing with the camera on the One S for a few days now, and AC member Pauley (who was kind enough to share some of his shots) and I have come to the same conclusion -- the new HTC camera is amazing. It's one thing to read about it in a review, but forums threads like Pauley's really drive the point home. Take a minute, and have a look.

Photos taken with my AT&T One X

Samsung Galaxy S III camera app hands-on

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AppId is over the quota

Samsung has had some pretty good cameras in its phones for some time now, and the Galaxy S III is no exception. The SGSIII finds itself with an 8-megapixel rear shooter, and a 1.9-megapixel camera round front. Sammy's mantra as far as the camera goes is that it wants you to "never miss a picture-perfect moment."

The camera app remains impressive. The shutter snaps as soon as you touch the screen (some people prefer that, others prefer it to trigger on release), and there's virtually no lag between touch and picture. You've got some pretty standard options -- panorama mode, macro, etc. -- and HDR imaging (that's the one where pictures of differing resolutions are combined for a more dynamic look) is now built in as well.

A feature Samsung's particularly proud of is burst mode, which will capture up to 20 images in a single take by holding down the shutter button. (You do have to first enable burst mode in the settings.)

Facial recognition is another high point, as Samsung's making a big deal out of being able to identify your friends faces, tag photos, group them, and share them. In demos it's seemed to work well enough. We'll reserve ful judgment for when we get to use it in the real world.

Shooting video works as expected, and Samsung's also got the ability to snap still images while recording motion at 1080p. (Unlike HTC's video playback, however, you can't take still images while reviewing a video.)

All in all, though, a pretty solid performance by the Samsung Galaxy S III in the optical department.