Android Community |
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo Leaks
- Vizio tablet ship date tipped by Walmart leak
- AndyPad super-cheap Android tablet priced at £129
- First MIPS32 smartphone passes Android Compatibility Test suite
- Motorola and China Telecom announce Milestone 3 XT883 for China
- Navizon crowd-sourced Android mapping app pays you to use it [Video]
- Sony S1 and S2 tablet teaser channels Rube Goldberg [Video]
- Winner Announced for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 “Unboxing War” Thanks Everyone!
- LG Optimus 3D Officially Launched Today
- Samsung Infuse 4G headed to Rogers and its running 2.3 Gingerbread
- Angry Birds gets Mine and Dine Update With 15 More Levels
- Awful Android Running iPhone Rip-Off Now at Sears
- Google Maps Now Rates Restaurants
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi Official Info Video Released
- T-Mobile G2 Warranty Replacement Phones Shipped with Gingerbread by Mistake
- HTC EVO 3D Hands-On and Unboxing
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo Leaks Posted: 17 Jun 2011 10:31 AM PDT It looks like Sony Ericsson is ready to get rolling on their next suite of Android smartphones. If the phone pictured below is in fact the Xperia Duo then this very well may be the first SE phone with a dual-core processor as the name implies. This is the first we have seen of this ultra thin Sony Ericsson phone, that bezel sure looks thinner than recent offerings from SE. Could this be a new design approach?
This looks to have a huge screen, possibly a 4.3″ display along with a front facing camera and like we mentioned above that bezel sure is thin and pretty. The bezel is so small this might even have a 4.5″ screen but we wont know until we here or see more. If your are a SE fan check out the Xperia X10 running Gingerbread, or that Xperia Play spotted with HDMI-out while you are here. We will report back as more information comes to light regarding the Xperia Duo. [via PocketNow]
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| Vizio tablet ship date tipped by Walmart leak Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:26 AM PDT Vizio managed to take the HDTV market by storm and quickly moved to become the top brand of HDTV sold in the US beating out much more established rivals. Vizio is now set to try to do something similar with the tablet market and its interesting 8-inch Vizio tablet. You might remember that tablet; it surfaced on video not too long ago when Vizio hooked NBA player Blake Griffin up with a new home theater.
We also had a leaked photo of the shelf tag allegedly for the Vizio Android tablet this week with the price pegged at $349. What we don't know is when exactly that tablet will hit store shelves. Another leak courtesy of someone working at Walmart has surfaced. This time the leak is a pic of the screen for the Walmart inventory system. The photo shows that the 8-inch tablet will ship in week 26. That is 6 weeks from now apparently so you have a month and a half to wait for it to land. It might be a hard wait with other cool tablets on the market, but if you want to use the Vizio tablet with your Vizio home theater this tablet and its low price will make it very appealing. I also like the stereo speaker system that Vizio uses that lets you have stereo sound in either orientation. [via Engadget]
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| AndyPad super-cheap Android tablet priced at £129 Posted: 17 Jun 2011 06:27 AM PDT The AndyPad bargain Android tablet has been further detailed, and it looks set to be a better deal than previously expected. Tipped at “under £200” ($324) by UK company AndyPad, in fact the 7-inch slate will be just £129 ($209).
That gets you a 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, WiFi connectivity and Android 2.3 Gingerbread (rather than Honeycomb). It’ll come preloaded with Facebook, Twitter and various games and other apps, along with 1080p HD output through a standard HDMI port. Other connectivity includes microUSB and a microSD card slot. Launch is expected in 75 days, according to the company, which puts it about two and a half months out.   
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| First MIPS32 smartphone passes Android Compatibility Test suite Posted: 17 Jun 2011 04:21 AM PDT
MIPS has announced that it has the first non-ARM platform to pass the Android Compatibility Test Suite. If you are not familiar with this test suite, it is a collection of roughly 24,000 tests according to MIPS. These tests must be passed as one of the conditions to enable a device to access the Android Market and to use the Android logo on the smartphone. The test suite also helps to ensure that the smartphones will work with the apps on the Android Market as well. The MIPS32 platform was able to pass the tests in the CTS and it is shipping an Android Froyo smartphone with a SoC from Ingenic Semiconductor based on the MIPS32 architecture. The smartphone will retail for under $100 and is already shipping in volume to China, Europe, and India. The smartphone will be coming to North America soon as well. MIPS also notes that the device will support popular games like Angry Birds and others.
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| Motorola and China Telecom announce Milestone 3 XT883 for China Posted: 17 Jun 2011 03:27 AM PDT Earlier this week we talked a bit about the Motorola Milestone 3 smartphone and the tip that the device would not be coming to the UK. UK fans may not get the Milestone 3 smartphone, but other places will be able to enjoy the handset. Motorola and China Telecom have announced that the Milestone 3 will be coming to China. The smartphone has a dual-core processor that Motorola says is twice as fast as the industry average single-core processors.
The faster processor allows the user to do more things at one time and have a better user experience. The keyboard has a permanent row of numbers on the top so the user doesn't need to hit the alt key to switch to number entry. The screen on the Milestone 3 is a 4-inch touchscreen. The phone also has better security features so the phone will fit into enterprise environments. The rear camera is an 8MP unit that can record video and the smartphone will run on the China Telecom e-Surfing 3G network. The operating system is Android 2.3. The device will also connect to the Motorola China exclusive SHOP4APPs portal. Other features include a front camera for video chatting, 16GB of internal storage, and the ability to make calls in more than 200 countries. The phone will land at China Telecom stores in Q3.   [via Motorola]
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| Navizon crowd-sourced Android mapping app pays you to use it [Video] Posted: 17 Jun 2011 02:23 AM PDT Crowd-sourced mapping and friend-finder app Navizon has released a new version for Android devices, and now users can earn cash rewards for logging WiFi access points and cell towers. The new app – a free download from the Android Market – supports friend groups for Latitude-style tracking, as well as a record of where you’ve travelled.
There’s also live mapping, and the ability to set alerts when you move into a specific location – handy if you need to remind yourself to buy something when you’re near the relevant shop. Support for the people-finder tool Navimote is also baked in. Still, it’s probably the cash reward scheme that most users will be interested in, as Navizon attempts to boost its database by crowd-sourcing new information. You get 15 points for each new cell tower and 3 points for each new WiFi base station you log (or 2 points for a known cell tower and 1 point for a known WiFi station), all done automatically, and when you reach 10,000 points you can swap it for $15 in cash (via PayPal). [via Twitter]
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| Sony S1 and S2 tablet teaser channels Rube Goldberg [Video] Posted: 17 Jun 2011 12:17 AM PDT Your eyes do not deceive you: that is indeed Sony’s pair of tablets – the S1 and S2 – being seen in video form for the first time. In front of them is a tiny train, for Sony has followed in the Rube Goldberg footsteps of Honda and others, and created an oddly slow-paced teaser full of shadows and clunking.
Neither of the tablets get much in the way of a demo. There’s the regular Android Honeycomb homescreen, as you can see above, and some endearing shots of both models telling us “I love you.” “To Be Continued” the video suggests, and so hopefully future episodes will make everything a little clearer. Otherwise it’s business as usual: Tegra 2 confirmed, dual-displays on the S2 and what looks to be a roughly September launch. [Thanks Carl!]
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| Winner Announced for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 “Unboxing War” Thanks Everyone! Posted: 16 Jun 2011 09:43 PM PDT Android wins again! The time has finally come and we are announcing the winner of our Unboxing War: Number One contest. In case you missed it, earlier in May we decided to spice up the unboxing and hands-on video of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 by doing two at the same time and let you — the readers decide who was best for a chance to win your very own Galaxy Tab 10.1 to enjoy. It was a close battle in the unboxing between Vince and Ben but in the end it was you readers that got to decide who was king.
It was a very hard choice as we received tons of entries on our Facebook Page. First off we would like to say Thank You to everyone that entered the contest this time around, you made it a huge success and for that we are grateful. And now for the Winner….. (Drum-roll) Jorge Conty! Congratulations you are one lucky dude and the winner of a brand new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi. To see his winning comment Click here While you are all here feel free to check out our full review of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi by clicking here. It is a beautiful device and now it looks like Conty will be getting his very own in the mail soon enough. As usual all our contests are currently ran in the USA only but we plan to bring more contests soon and also available to more readers so stay tuned to AndroidCommunity. Oh and we wanted to post a few runner up entries for you all to enjoy just so you know we actually looked and read every comment and some even made us laugh.
and this comment I just had to share
Once again Thank you to everyone that entered and keep reading for our next giveaway coming soon. Jorge we will contact you shortly. Well done Ben, Well Done!
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| LG Optimus 3D Officially Launched Today Posted: 16 Jun 2011 04:47 PM PDT We have heard plenty about it and knew it was coming for a while, but today LG has officially launched the LG Optimus 3D. Probably in an attempt to beat the HTC EVO 3D to market. Lucky for us we had the Optimus 3D sometime back in May and were able to do a full review and you can read all about that here.
The Optimus 3D is a beast of a phone by all means. It has a 4.3″ glasses free 3D display, dual 5MP cameras for shooting said 3D, as well as a front facing camera for those that need it. It also features a dual-core TI OMAP 4 processor and something LG is calling “Tri-Dual” architecture. What does that mean — dual-core, dual-memory, and dual-channel. With that and the ability to record and playback full 3D video this stacks up as a pretty powerful device. Today LG has announced that the device is launching today starting in Europe and will be available in more than 60 markets around the world in the coming weeks. So we still don’t have a solid announcement for when we will see it in the U.S but it can’t be far away. Again feel free to check out our Optimus 3D Review to see if its a device you like and could see yourself buying. Press Release:
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| Samsung Infuse 4G headed to Rogers and its running 2.3 Gingerbread Posted: 16 Jun 2011 03:40 PM PDT The Samsung Infuse 4G was recently released at an event in NYC back in May and we were there for some hands-on. If you don’t recall the Infuse 4G is a Galaxy S device featuring a monster 4.5″ AMOLED Plus display. So basically the screen not only looks amazing but its also huge. This is the largest screen to have a Samsung Super AMOLED Plus display and it was launched on AT&T with a 1.2 Ghz CPU and Android 2.2 FroYo. New information is showing the Infuse 4G launching on Rogers will a little surprise.
Rogers has just announced that they will be receiving the Samsung Infuse 4G sometime soon but they are stating it will indeed be running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread instead of the older 2.2 like the AT&T version. This makes us wonder if a Gingerbread update is coming for the AT&T flavor sometime soon. For a more in depth look at this amazingly thin, lightweight, yet huge device check out our hands-on and unboxing as well as our full Infuse 4G Review. The Samsung Infuse 4G is very similar in looks and design to the Galaxy S II and its the thinnest phone on the planet. It is extremely lightweight and just a hair thicker than the SGSII, so this makes the Infuse 4G a pretty great all around device. If you don’t need the dual-core CPU from some of the phones coming out of late you can get the next best thing from Samsung soon on Rogers. Stay tuned for more information and a release date.
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| Angry Birds gets Mine and Dine Update With 15 More Levels Posted: 16 Jun 2011 02:47 PM PDT With so many versions of Angry Birds in the Android Market all getting updated occasionally it can be a little hard to keep up, but luckily for you guys I have you all covered. I’ve seen this news plastered all over android sites today, some link to Rio and others to Seasons but they are wrong. The Original Angry Birds has just been updated with a new map pack called “Mine and Dine” and it is available in the market now. Get it by clicking here.
They have brought out 15 new levels and take you underground in the mines for some dirty gameplay. The bad piggies have burrowed deep in underground caverns to hide the eggs they stole from you. Use whatever you can to chase those pigs and find those golden eggs. Whats New: 1. Mine and Dine: a new cave themed episode begins with 15 new levels! Don’t take my word for it though, check out the new video and market link below. [via Android Market]
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| Awful Android Running iPhone Rip-Off Now at Sears Posted: 16 Jun 2011 02:08 PM PDT Love Android, but want an iPhone too? Well here’s your chance to get Android on a super awesome Apple design! Sears is now selling what is clearly a fake iPhone running Android 2.2. While it may have a shiny iDevice body on the outside its its guts that really make this thing shine!
You want power? You’ll be screaming along with a beefy 400 MHz processor, playing HD video on a crystal clear 320 x 480 3.5″ capacitive touch screen. To top it all off, you get a 2 MP camera to snap super clear photos. All this power is sure to let your Android powered device blow away any Apple made competitor. OK, so this obviously isn’t anything special, but nonetheless it is fun to point and laugh at. The unlocked phone is available at Sears.com for only $263.99 (clearly without a contract). The grammar in the description isn’t so hot either, suggesting that this is probably an imported iPhone rip-off that’s decided to run Android rather than making their own rip off software too. A shame that our beloved Android would be used in such an unholy imposter.
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| Google Maps Now Rates Restaurants Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:29 PM PDT Google is pushing a relatively small update to Google Maps today to enhance its “Places” feature. ‘Best Ever’ ratings, as the update dubs them, will help you decide what restaurant in the area to go to. This may be small, but is a useful update in Google’s quest to “organize and make available the world’s information.”
Google Places was introduced to help people find businesses and restaurants in their area. What sprung out of Google’s love to organize and present information to the world, has become more useful with its integration into the mobile Google Maps app. Now when browsing maps for new restaurants nearby, you’ll be able to filter out which ones are the best. Google’s apps continue to grow, and their integration with Android is one of its biggest strengths. Places isn’t necessarily the most popular of them though. What do you Places users out there think of the update? Is this a much needed update, or more of a ‘meh’? Let us know.
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| Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi Official Info Video Released Posted: 16 Jun 2011 12:11 PM PDT We have all heard plenty about the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Tablet that is launching tomorrow. We wrote up a reminder post this morning for all you readers as well. It looks like Samsung is also taking the opportunity today to remind everyone about the amazingly thin, light, and powerful Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablet they are releasing with a nice video showing just about every detail imaginable about the tablet.
If you want to see the beautiful Tab 10.1 from every angle possible and even the fact that its thinner than most magazines then you wont want to miss this video. It outlines everything from size, weight, screen specs, processor and more just like you’d expect from a top notch video promoting a device of this caliber. Before I send you down below to the video feel free to check out our hands-on review of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 or even our review of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Google I/O Limited Edition as they are pretty similar hardware wise. The Tab 10.1 sure is pretty, I can’t wait to get my hands on the 8.9 that is coming soon. Enough of me, here is the Official Video: [via SamsungMobile YouTube]
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| T-Mobile G2 Warranty Replacement Phones Shipped with Gingerbread by Mistake Posted: 16 Jun 2011 11:50 AM PDT Internal documents now being circulated at T-Mobile are showing what we have heard a few times but have yet to confirm. Apparently multiple warranty replacement HTC G2 phones were shipped with Android 2.3 Gingerbread by mistake. The G2 currently runs vanilla Android 2.2 FroYo and is still waiting for the OTA upgrade to 2.3 but it looks like that update is closer than we thought. Gingerbread recently was leaked for the G2 but that was the last we heard of it.
When we originally reported the G2 hitting end of life a few readers mentioned receiving 2.3 Gingerbread on their G2 so it seems this went out to a pretty wide group of replacement phones. Now that T-Mobile has realized the mistake most likely no more will be shipping out with the wrong OS version so don’t hurry down and request a replacement as it most likely wont work. We have still been waiting for the official OTA update for Android 2.3 Gingerbread for the HTC G2, for now will will just have to take the Gingerbread teasing from T-Mobile and hope it comes sooner rather than later. We will update this story as we hear more. [via TmoNews]
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| HTC EVO 3D Hands-On and Unboxing Posted: 16 Jun 2011 11:48 AM PDT As providence would have it, we’ve now got the 3D version of everyone’s favorite HTC phone of all time, that being the HTC EVO 3D. This is a device that’s rolling out with a dual-core processor, a lovely dash of HTC Sense 3.0, and some incredible glasses-free 3D! This isn’t the first time we’ve glanced upon a 3D device of similar nature, will this one take the trump card? We shall see! HTC in the place to be, dual core happenings from here to you from me!
This device has a 540 x 960 pixel resolution 4.3 inch 3D S-LCD display set in a 126 x 65 x 12.1 mm chassis with a weight of 170 g total. If you’ll recall, we’ve had our hands on this device before, even going so far as to literally compare the size of it to the HTC ThunderBolt! Now we’ve got another HTC device in the house, that being the dual-core HTC Sensation 4G with it’s ultra-fancy chassis and Sense 3.0 with excellent new widgets and lockscreen in tow. Turns out the HTC EVO 3D has all that and more! Let’s dive in and see if it adds up.
First ImpressionsWhat we’re dealing with is a hot 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8660 chipset. We’ll see soon enough. This device also comes packed with what’s basically the greatest 3D enabled game on the market today: Spider-Man! But wait, it’s not the full version, you’ll have to buy the full version via Gameloft – but you’ll be able to pay on your phone bill! That’s practically free! Look for a demo inside the hands-on below – it’s fabulous! Go Gameloft! On the back of this device you’re going to find the dual-camera magic. That’s right, a 5-megapixel 2560х1920 pixel resolution, autofocus, dual-LED flash having camera that’ll be able to take stereoscopic photos (2 MP only) & videos with geo-tagging. Can you believe it?! There’s also a 1-megapixel camera on the front. Use it!
Now let’s have a look at some benchmarks. As you can see, this device does indeed hold its own directly out of the box. Want to compare these marks to the HTC Sensation which also JUST came out? Have a look at our full review! I think you’ll find the results to be tantalizing.
Now this device does have 1 GB storage and 1 GB RAM, but it also has a microSD port under the battery cover. While the HTC EVO 3D comes with a relatively small 8GB card out of the box, you’ll be able to upgrade that to a 32GB card if you wish in the future, per the standard for high-end phones these days. There’s a microSD port, a headphone jack, volume up and down, power button / lock, and that’s it – oh wait! There’s a couple additions that you RAREly see on HTC devices. First, a dedicated camera button. Not only does this button exist, it’s gigantic compared to buttons of old. Nice and big and metal and round, this makes the device seem as though it was made to take photos and video. Fancy that! Then there’s a 2D/3D switch which thus far appears to only function inside your camera mode. Games you’ll be switching on your own the old fashioned way.
Also of note – that microUSB port is also MHL enabled, this meaning that all you’ll need is an official converter and you’ll be outputting to HDMI in no time. That combined with the fact that this device has basically everything that the Sensation has and, again, more, should have your mouth watering in all sorts of ways.
On the other hand, the casing on the Sensation is going to be a doozy to beat, it’s ever so lovely. Stay tuned with us here on Android Community as we continue to take a look at this device in more ways than one, crowning our looks off with a review or two VERY soon!             
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One of the things that is so great about Android and its open source nature is that the OS can be used to power cheap smartphones for people on a strict budget and countries where people generally aren’t able to afford the high-end and expensive handsets that many of us take for granted in the US and Europe. One of the more costly components inside a smartphone is the processor and so far, ARM platforms rule the Android world. 
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