Monday, February 21, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Things We Missed, You Shouldn’t [Feb. 21]

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:46 PM PST

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With the launch of the Motorola XOOM this week should be a big week for Android. See some other android happenings below.

WWE will soon release an application for Android. You’ll need to be subscribed to WWE magazine to get access.

Huawei’s looking to build an $80 million cellular network for London’s underground subway system in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Samsung has made new developments on their DRAM offering. More details about it can be found here.

Kno – a hardware manufacturer – may start developing applications for Android instead of making hardware.

Amazon posts new details about their Android app store.

Hanv0n is coming out with a 7 inch tablet called the HPad A112 for 399 euros.

Verizon’s updated V Cast to include ringtones and ringback tones. Find the latest version of the app in the Android market on your VZW phone.

Qik for Sprint seems to have gotten a quiet update that’s only available when contacting custom support. Weird. Folks are talking about it over at Android Forums.

The Tegra 2 Advent Vega is set to arrive in more physical stores this week.

Samsung Moment gets a Froyo port.

Motorola XOOM Arriving at Best Buy Stores

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:44 PM PST

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While we still don’t know where the HTC Thunderbolt is, the Motorola XOOM is ready to go for its February 24th release. See it here already arriving at Best Buy stores, itching to hop out on those shelves.

[via Engadget]

Flash Player Not Optimized for Tegra 2, Leaked APK Surfaces

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 03:27 PM PST

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Today a Motorola XOOM ad indicated Flash Player 10.1 wouldn’t be available on the XOOM at launch. Turns out it isn’t really available for any device running NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chip. After the ad surfaced, Adobe updated the Android Market description for Flash Player to include:

It SHOULD NOT be installed on devices/tablets with the NVIDIA Tegra 2 super chip including the LG Optimus 2X Dell Streak 7 and Motorola ATRIX. The pre-installed version of Flash Player is optimized for Tegra 2. Future updates will include these optimizations. If you are unsure as to whether your device includes the NVIDIA Tegra 2, please consult your device owner’s manual.

So it looks like we will have to wait for Tegra 2 optimization before getting the benefit of Flash content on more powerful dual-core devices. That might not be too far off, either, based on a leaked APK file uncovered earlier today. It is available for installation over at DroidLife, if you want to take the risk on your brand new XOOM come Thursday.

[via DroidLife]

New Motorola Xoom Ad Goes Live

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 01:44 PM PST

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A quick ad for the Motorola XOOM has joined Verizon’s HTC Thunderbolt commercial from earlier today. The 16 second spot doesn’t do anything to tout the specs or features of the slate, rather only showing a brief glimpse of it before it transfroms into a spaceship. Still giving off a Droid-y vibe despite the lack of branding from the device. Will that help or hurt?

[via DroidLife]

Super AMOLED Plus Gets Crisper with Doubled Subpixel Count Thanks to ‘Real-Stripe’

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 01:38 PM PST

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PenTile has been a technique in place on the current generation of AMOLED and SUper AMOLED displays that shares green subpixels among several whole RGB pixels, creating a grainier image in displays with smaller pixel counts. With the introduction of the Super AMOLED Plus, Samsung has deployed a pixel scheme they are calling Real-Stripe, which introduces regular old pixels for all colors red, green and blue, eliminating the granulation issue caused by PenTile in older AMOLED displays.

The drawback to Real-Stripe is that pixels require a greater overall size, meaning displays need to be slightly larger in size to achieve proper resolutions. This would be why Samsung went with 4.3-inch and 4.5-inch versions of the Super AMOLED Plus in their Infuse and Galaxy S II.

These are the sort of subtle differences you might not notice at first comparison of the Super AMOLED and its Plus version, but the screen technology keeps getting better and better. Now, hopefully battery drain issues will improve alongside.

[via Engadget]

LG Optimus 3D and Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Priced and Dated for UK on Play.com

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 12:49 PM PST

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Online retailer Play.com has put up pre-order pages for the upcoming LG Optimus 3D and Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. The two new handsets had a big showing at this year’s Mobile World Congress, and since have been showing up with looks pricing and availability all over the internet. This latest puts the UK pricing and release for the Optimus 3D at £514.99  available April 25th, and the Xperia Play at £519.99 available March 28th.

No official pricing and availability has been made available for either handset, so it is likely the information at Play could change as release draws near.

[via AndroidCentral]

Geohot Wants to be First to Root the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 12:12 PM PST

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Infamous hardware hacker Geohot has a bit of a history with Sony. His Playstation 3 hacking landed him in some hot water, legally. But that isn’t stopping the rebellious jailbreaker of the iPhone from venturing deeper into Sony’s product line. He has recently voiced his intention to be the first person to root the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

Geohot won’t have to worry about legal action, as rooting is not considered an illegal act in the US, and we’re sure he’d be happy to add the device to his growing list of projects. In fact, it is as if he sees it as his personal duty to root the device:

I do take this whole matter very seriously. Again, it’s not about me, I was on the verge of quitting this stuff last June, and I would hate to be the one who sets a reputation for hackers that all a company has to do is sue us and we back down. In fact, I want the opposite reputation set, that the more a company tries to abuse the legal system, the harder we rally back. I will be the first person in line on the launch date of the Xperia Play, and itching to get my hands on the Next GEOHOT Project.

Given the voraciously quick nature of the Android root community, Geohot will need to act quickly to be the first to get the Xperia Play cracked.

[via GadgetsDNA]

HTC Inspire Is in Fact HSUPA Capable, AT&T Has the Capability Disabled

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 11:36 AM PST

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Ready for another twist in the he said/she said game  of whether or not the HTC Inspire 4G on AT&T has HSUPA support? The technology, which provides faster upload speeds, was firmly denied to be included in the Inspire handset by AT&T sources, but now Engadget is claiming their insiders confirm HSUPA support is in fact supported by the phone, though AT&T has it disabled.

Engadget does make the valid observation that finding an HSPA+ chipset that doesn’t support HSUPA is rare, and that the ability could easily be enabled with a firmware update. Whether or not AT&T plans to release that update down the road is something no one could know at this point. Another point of speculation is that AT&T’s actual network may simply have HSUPA disabled in 4G areas rather than HSUPE actually being disabled in the Inspire.

So there you have it for now. The HTC Inspire won’t support HSUPA, but it definitely could if AT&T wanted it to.

[via Engadget]

Honeycomb Ported to HTC Desire, Nexus One

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 11:11 AM PST

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Two more handsets are getting their fair share of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK port. The closely related HTC Desire and Nexus One both received the new version of Android meant for tablets. Just as the ports for the NOOKcolor and various other handsets and tablets, don’t expect much functionality. Actually, don’t even expect to get them installed on your own devices any time soon.

If you do manage to follow in the footsteps of those bringing Honeycomb to new devices, you will be getting a port with not a whole lot to offer. Sluggish performance and missing features plague the current builds.

[via Switched, AndroidCommunity]

Toshiba Says their Tablet Won’t Be Called Antares, but New Image Sure Does

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 10:49 AM PST

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We know a lot about the upcoming Honeycomb tablet from Toshiba. It will carry the 10.1-inch form factor with 1280×800 resolution, feature dual cameras, and an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor. But what hasn’t been revealed as of yet is a name for the device. A new image grabbed from the folks at TabletGuide.nl suggests that we may now know what the tablet will be called: Antares.

But before you go writing it down on your wish list, Toshiba has reached out to officially deny that this will be the final name for the product. Chances are this has been a working codename within Toshiba, as we often see such labels show up in device information screens. Still, the name referencing one of the brightest stars in our night sky actually isn’t half bad.

[via NetBookNews]

In One Year Android Market Revenue Grows a Remarkable 862%

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 10:25 AM PST

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If you think all the way back to the launch of the Motorola Droid you might remember a time when there were no more than 20,000 apps available in the Android Market. Today that number has cross the 250,000 mark. With the increased number of applications should come an increased income, but would you believe that revenue from these applications has grown by 861.5 percent? Well believe it, because it’s true according to IHS. In cold hard American dollars, 2009 saw revenue of $11 million, while 2010 saw $102 million dollars incoming.

Still, with the large increase in revenues on a platform that is quickly becoming the world’s top, this only equates to a 4.7 percent share of the total mobile app revenues. Apple still takes the lead there with an 82.7 percent share of the currently over $2 billion industry.

Something tells us the profits might not increase this much from 2010 to 2011, but with the way Android is quickly spreading, we could see a large chunk of Apple’s lead begin to fade.

[via KnowYourMobile]

Tower Raiders 2 Beta in the Android Market

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 09:57 AM PST

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I just learned about a game called Tower Raiders – another tower defense game. This one is pretty good, and although I’ve only had a limited amount of time with the beta version of the sequel, it made me want to go and dig out the original. It might have that effect on you, too. And if you already know about Tower Raiders, why didn’t you heartless souls tell any of us about it sooner? I suggest all tower defense fans check it out now in the Android market. [Android Police]

US Cellular Launches Unprecedented Buy One, Get 5 Free Deal Through March 10th

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 09:27 AM PST

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We’ve just been notified that US Cellular is launching a BOGF (buy-one-get-five) deal that’ll go on through March 10th. If you buy one phone, you can get up to five other ones free on a family plan. There is a tiny catch, of course: you don’t exactly get to pick and choose which phones you want. If you get the Samsung Mesmerize, for instance, you can get up to 5 LG Optimus U phones free, but no other devices.

They’ve also dropped the prices on some of their Android devices and have introduced new incentives for new and existing customers looking to sign up or upgrade. More details on all of those can be found in the press release straight ahead.

U.S. CELLULAR LAUNCHES FAMILY-SIZED BUY-ONE-PHONE-GET-FIVE FREE DEALS AND DROPS PRICES ON ANDROID-POWERED SMARTPHONES

All Android-Powered Phones Now Under $100

CHICAGO (Feb. 21, 2011) - U.S. Cellular, recently ranked the best wireless carrier in the country in a customer survey conducted by Consumer Reports, is offering a pair of family-sized deals to fit a wide range of mobile tastes. Through March 10, customers who buy a Samsung Mesmerize (a Galaxy S device) for just $99.99 can get up to five LG Optimus U smartphones free. For first-time smartphone users or anyone ready to experience the power of Android technology, customers can buy an LG Optimus U at $29.99 and get up to five more for free.

The Samsung Mesmerize, with its large touchscreen and super fast 1 GHz processor, makes watching videos, playing games and zipping through business and entertainment applications easy. With Android 2.2 technology, the LG Optimus U is ideal for smartphone users who want to explore a wide range of multimedia entertainment and time-saving Android applications. Both phones have cool Swype technology for blazing fast text messaging.

U.S. Cellular is offering a similar deal on its popular messaging phones for families who like to talk, text and surf the web. Customers can buy one Samsung Messager Touch for $29.99 and get up to five Samsung Profiles free. To top it off, the carrier dropped prices on its entire lineup of Android-powered phones to under $100, including the popular HTC Desire for just $69.99, the LG Apex for $29.99 and the Samsung Acclaim for free.

"These amazing deals are great for customers who want devices to fit their family’s wide variety of needs and lifestyles," said Alan D. Ferber, executive vice president of operations for U.S. Cellular. "Busy parents will love how the cutting-edge Android-powered smartphones help them stay productive, and kids can stay entertained and connected with friends on the go. Many of our customers prefer texting over talking, so we also wanted to delight them with great deals on our messaging phones."

Also through March 10, new customers who purchase a smartphone with a Belief Plan can get a $100 Smartphone Activation Credit per line. Current customers who add a new smartphone line also are eligible. They can pair their new smartphones with the Premium Plus Family Plan for $179.99, which includes two lines with unlimited minutes and messaging, 5GB of data per line, Phone Replacement and GPS navigation. They could also opt for the "best value in wireless" by signing up for the carrier’s $69.99 Primary Plus Plan that comes with 5GB of data, unlimited text, picture and video messaging, free unlimited incoming calls, nights and weekends, mobile-to-mobile calls and GPS navigation.

All of the offers are backed by U.S. Cellular’s high-speed nationwide network and The Belief Project, both of which have received high marks from industry insiders and consumers. U.S. Cellular has the highest call quality and network satisfaction of any national carrier and The Belief Project was recently named Frost & Sullivan’s Customer Value Enhancement of the Year. The Belief Project recognizes customer loyalty with unmatched benefits and rewards like faster upgrades to the coolest phones at promotional prices every 18 months or sooner without requiring customers to repeatedly sign contracts. It also offers an assortment of bundled National Single Line and Family Belief Plans designed to mirror the way people use their phones.

New customers who sign up for a Belief Plan and fulfill an initial two-year commitment will never have to sign another one with U.S. Cellular’s "no contract after the first." Current U.S. Cellular customers who previously signed up for a Belief Plan and are already eligible for a phone upgrade can get promotional prices without signing another contract. Customers automatically get valuable rewards that can be used for faster phone upgrades in as little as 10 months, additional lines, phones, accessories and ringtones.

For more information about all of U.S. Cellular’s deals, plans and phones, and other restrictions on these offers, visit any U.S. Cellular store, go to uscellular.com or check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is committed to fixing wireless one project at a time and recently unveiled The Belief Project, an array of industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Belief Project complements the Chicago-based carrier’s growing catalog of cutting-edge phones that are all backed by its high-speed nationwide network. U.S. Cellular was recently named a J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Customer Service Champion and provides the best cell phone service in the country according to survey results released by Consumer Reports, which found that wireless customers are more satisfied with U.S. Cellular than every other major wireless company. U.S. Cellular was also named one of Forbes Magazine’s 2010 "Most Trustworthy Companies." To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. You can also check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook.

Another New Thunderbolt Commercial, Still No Date [VIDEO]

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 09:14 AM PST

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I just wanted to take a quick break in the day to watch this Thunderbolt commercial. It’s quite cool, actually. Fits that “epic-y” tone Verizon is going for throughout their 4G campaign. But one user on YouTube described it perfectly:

I think the guy was attempting to blow up the prototype. It’s a hint that it isn’t actually coming out anymore.

Funny, but yea – where’s this device, Verizon? We know we’ll most likely see it before March rolls around, but you would make a lot of people sleep better at night if you just announced a date. You could tweet it, for all we care, just give it to us! Video above.

Rumor: Sony Introducing a ClamShell Dual-Screen Android Tablet Called the “S2″

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 08:58 AM PST

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More crazy rumors coming out of the Sony camp today. This time, a clamshell form-factor device named the Sony S2 seems to be in the works, according to reports received by Engadget. This is what the Kyocera Echo should have been, if their specs are accurate.

This thing sports two 5.5-inch displays, a Tegra 2 processor, front and rear-facing cameras, and all of the other usual bits you’d expect in a phone. And not unlike the Echo, the idea here is to utilize the two displays for the same applications. In Maps, for instance, you’d have detailed turn-by-turn navigation on one side, while a bigger atlas type of map remains on the other.

It’s expected to hit the US, Europe, and Japan sometime before the end of the year starting at $700. Engadget’s source says the company doesn’t feel too excited about this internally, and I can already see why. The clamshell form factor would have been fine if the outer surfaces were flat, but an ovaled shape doesn’t do well for pocketability, and it just doesn’t look great if this rough sketch is anything to go by.

I can’t form an accurate opinion, though, considering I don’t know if this thing even really exists, but this sounds like it’ll be near the bottom of our list of devices we think will change the tablet game up. [Engadget]
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