Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

AT&T No Longer Selling Phones Through Several Third Party Channels Starting March 8th

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 03:43 PM PST

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If you were looking for an Inspire 4G or an Atrix 4G soon, AT&T’s brick and more and online shops may be the only places to find them. Wirefly, LetsTalk, and numerous other third party retailers have announced the disrupt in availability of AT&T products and services. As AT&T has not publicly announced anything and as other major retailers – such as Best Buy and Amazon – hasn’t put out any notices, we’re not sure to what extent this is happening. It’s unfortunate as these retailers often provide the best deals on devices soon after they launch, while the carriers usually reserve promotions for holiday sales or EOL preparation. [BGR]

Final Android 3.0 Platform and SDK Now Available

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 02:25 PM PST

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Google has just announced that the final release of the SDK for Android 3.0 is now available for all who wish to develop for upcoming Honeycomb tablets, such as the Motorola XOOM or Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. It’ll be API level 11 when you go looking for it. Here are the changes they’ve made to the SDK tools and to ADT for Eclipse:

  • UI Builder improvements in the ADT Plugin:
    • New Palette with categories and rendering previews. (details)
    • More accurate rendering of layouts to more faithfully reflect how the layout will look on devices, including rendering status and title bars to more accurately reflect screen space actually available to applications.
    • Selection-sensitive action bars to manipulate View properties.
    • Zoom improvements (fit to view, persistent scale, keyboard access) (details).
    • Improved support for <merge> layouts, as well as layouts with gesture overlays.
  • Traceview integration for easier profiling from ADT. (details)
  • Tools for using the Renderscript graphics engine: the SDK tools now compiles .rs files into Java Programming Language files and native bytecode.

More information can be had over at the Android Developers site.

Motorola: XOOM to Have Unlockable/Relockable Bootloader

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 02:05 PM PST

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Motorola said they’d be trying to meet developers half way when it comes to encrypted bootloaders on their devices. Many interpreted this to mean that most or all of their future devices would be encryption free: this moderator at Motorola’s support forums says to not assume that and to wait for official word from Motorola as any announcements will be device specific.

Today, though, they’ve tweeted that the Motorola XOOM will indeed be hackable as it’ll employ a lockable/unlockable bootloader that’ll allow developers to access the hardware however they want.

We all assumed this would be the case considering it’s stock Android 3.0, but now there’s no question. And while I’m sure this wasn’t what you folks had in mind in your initial uproars regarding Motorola’s encryption practices (we’re sure you were talking about their MOTOBLUR phones), it’s definitely something. Let’s see what else they’ll hit us with as the weeks and months move on. [Thanks Trident, Adam!]

PewPew for Android Reminds Me of Geometry Wars [Video]

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 01:43 PM PST

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I stumbled across a new game in the Android market called PewPew today. It was released a couple of weeks ago, but I figured it was worth shouting out if most of you haven’t heard of it. It’s something like Geometry Wars if you’ve ever played that – you move about the playing field trying to avoid and shoot different shapes that are trying to take down your shield and destroy you. The game ends when you run out of lives.

I didn’t play long before making this video, but I played it enough to know that it’ll be a mainstay on my phone for quite some time. I’d love to see this get updated for Xperia Play support in the future as those digital thumbsticks would be perfect for this game. Check out the video above and then head on over to the Android market to check it out for yourself for free.

NOOKcolor Used For an In-Dash System [Video]

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 01:40 PM PST

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We’ve already got OEMs making in-dash systems that use Android – such as Parrot – but I think this is one of the first times we’ve seen an existing Android tablet being used as both the hardware and software component for one. Someone’s taken a rooted NOOKcolor, hooked it up to the stereo system inside their car, and the rest is history. GPS and Bluetooth would’ve been two more pieces to this already epic puzzle, but developers are still trying to get that stuff going on the NOOKcolor. Check the video out above to see what he’s done. [via Android Community]

Want to Go to Google I/O? Expect to Pay Upwards of $1,000 on eBay

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 12:57 PM PST

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Google I/O sold out in 59 minutes the day tickets went on sale, and many of you who wanted to register for tickets couldn’t – whether it be due to traffic bringing the site down to its knees or due to you not being able to try in time. I have good news and bad news if you’re one of the unfortunate souls who couldn’t get in on it.

The good news is that folks are selling their tickets on eBay. Yay for user-generated marketplaces! The bad news is that you’re going to be paying anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 for each ticket, and maybe even more. Google wasn’t lying when they said this was their most anticipated I/O in every way, and if tickets selling out in 59 minutes didn’t show you that, then these eBay listings should.

Any of you brave enough to bite on one of these? Seems like dozens of other bidders are. [Ebay 1|2 via Android Police]

Graphic.ly for Android – Another Store for Comic Book Fans

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 12:13 PM PST

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The folks at Graphic.ly have announced that their new Android application is now available. The app ties into their comic books and graphic novels store which has over 2,000 titles. If you’re coming over from the desktop or any iOS device, the comics you’ve already bought will be synced and ready to go on your Android device. Go ahead and check it out now in the Android market. [Mashable]

Verizon’s LTE Samsung Phone Gets MAP’d

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 11:20 AM PST

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Remember that phone by Samsung for Verizon with LTE radios that didn’t have a name at CES? Welp, Verizon’s starting to get those wheels moving as they’ve set it up with a minimized advertised price – usually, a launch isn’t far off from this step. (Rumors originally pegged this thing for Q1, too.) It’s being called the SCH-i150, but we still don’t have a name for it. With a 4.3-inch screen and a 1GHz processor, it sounds like it could turn out to be another unique Galaxy S phone for Verizon, but we’ll have to wait for more official details before we make that assumption. In the meantime, check out our walkthrough of the device below. [DL]

Mystery DROID 2 Update Floating Around?

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 11:06 AM PST

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Looks like the DROID 2 could be in for another OTA update soon, if an image sent to Droid-Life is to be believed. The line beneath the data disclaimer is weird: “Delta Package between 2.3.20 – 3.4.2-113″ – just what is this? As they point out, 2.3.20 is the latest build number for the DROID 2.  It’s no small update, either, clocking in at 42 MB. We’re not sure if this is real or not, but consider us interested. What do you folks think this could be? (I know most of you are secretly hoping for Gingerbread.)

Google Tracks Helps Man Get Out of a Speeding Ticket

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 10:31 AM PST

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Our friends over at Skatter Tech have posted a very interesting story today: how an Android smartphone helped get one of their writers out of a speeding ticket. With a combination of GPS, Google Tracks, and a lack of evidence on part of the police officer who wrote the ticket up, they are now able to say that their smartphone helped them “beat” the legal system. It’s quite the interesting read, so go ahead and check it out over there.

BeeWi Mini Cooper is a Darned Cool Remote Control Car Steered by Android

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 09:50 AM PST

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It’s no fish tank controller, it may just be cooler. This Mini Cooper remote control car from BeeWi is one pretty awesome little toy. It syncs up via Bluetooth to your handset and uses a controller app to steer and accelerate, zip this way and that. Even cooler, you can use your phone’s built in motion sensing capabilities to steer that like it’s a real life version of Need for Speed.

Check out another video sample below to see just how responsive and quick this little dude is. No specific pricing or availability has been made known to us at this time, but we are looking into it.

[via BeeWi]

Froyo for Your Fish: Vertex Cerebra Android-Powered Aquarium Controller

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 09:04 AM PST

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What do you get when you cross a mildly-powered Android tablet and your fish tank? The Vertex Cerebra Aquarium controller power by Android 2.2 Froyo. This 800MHz CPU, 512MB RAM carrying controller is housed in an Aluminum body and buddies up with your fish tank’s sensors to take reading of PH and oxygen levels and make adjustments on the fly. It’s an entire system that aims to revolutionize aquarium care.

We have been excited to see more products like this employing Android, and have been promised everything from toasters to refrigerators, though few marketable options have surfaced. The Vertex Cerebra isn’t for the amateur fish enthusiast, and is headed for a beta test this march. As you might guess, no word on pricing or availability.

[via AndroidCentral]

Verizon Accounts for 28% of Motorola Sales, but Manufacturer Cautious with Partnership Moving Forward

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 08:08 AM PST

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It isn’t every day that all the pieces fall in place to virtually single-handidly save a company from shuttering its doors, but this is exactly what happened when Motorola brought the Android operating system to Verizon Wireless. Just a little more than a year later Motorola has been riding a huge wave of success thanks to their Android smartphones appearing across all carriers, but with 28 percent of their business getting done through Verizon a reliance on the network is still obvious. In a Bloomberg report, Motorola admitted in the report that the company would need to be cautious in their dependence on Verizon going forward in light of slowing sales anticipating and coinciding with the release of the iPhone for the big red network.

The obvious first attempt at bringing high-ticket smartphones to other carriers (something normally reserved for Verizon’s bands) is the Motorola Atrix 4G for AT&T, the dual-core smartphone capable of transforming more or less into a fully functional laptop. In days past we might have expected to see this handset as a Verizon exclusive, and though VZW will get a phone similar in power, the Droid Bionic will still fall slightly short of the Atrix in terms of specs and hardware.

It might be stating the obvious, but the need to spread out their goods among carriers is an issue the company will need to tackle this year and moving forward. Motorola hasn’t taken the same approach as companies like Samsung, which aim to provide the same high-end smartphone experience to users on all carriers. Perhaps Moto will move in this direction as well, but only time will tell.

[via GigaOM]

LG Optimus 3D and Optimus Black Headed to Australia

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:59 AM PST

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Alongside the Optimus 2X, LG will be introducing two more of their high-end Android devices to Australia. The newly unveiled LG Optimus 3D and the super-slim Optimus Black will grace Australia’s shores sometime in late Q2 or early Q3. We’d suspect the Optimus Pad might also find its way over there, considering the fact that LG clumps these four top-notch devices together as the premium Android lineup, but the company will not comment.

No word on what carriers will receive the new handsets, but we suspect LG might follow the same approach they did with the Optimus One and choose to be carrier agnostic.

[via UnwiredView]

Official: Motorola XOOM Available on Verizon Wireless Feb. 24th, $599 On Contract

Posted: 22 Feb 2011 06:23 AM PST

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Though the leak train stole Verizon’s thunder, an official press release had finally been issued detailing the launch of the Motorola XOOM on their network. The world’s first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet will indeed launch this Thursday, February 24th, at a price of $599.99 on a two year contract, or $799.99 with no contract at all. Data service starts a $20 per month for 1 GB at 3G speeds. As has been stated time and time again, a free upgrade to 4G LTE will be available down the road (though pricing on those plans hasn’t been revealed). Full press release below.

MOTOROLA XOOM TABLET TO BE AVAILABLE ON THE VERIZON WIRELESS NETWORK ON FEB. 24

"Best of Show" Winner at 2011 Consumer Electronics Show Delivers the World’s First True Tablet Experience, With Upgrade to 4G LTE in Q2

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. - Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the Feb. 24, 2011 availability of the innovative new Motorola XOOM™ tablet, which won the coveted CNET Best of Show award at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show for being "the most potentially disruptive technology." The first device to run Google’s new Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, the Motorola XOOM will be available for purchase from Verizon Wireless for $599.99 with a new two-year customer agreement or $799.99 without a contract. Wireless 3G data service for the Motorola XOOM will begin at $20 monthly access for 1GB. The Motorola XOOM will be upgradeable to 4G LTE service at no additional charge in the second quarter of 2011.

A powerhouse in both software and hardware, the Motorola XOOM is built around a 1GHz dual-core processor and 10.1-inch widescreen HD display. The sleek, stylish design features a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chats, as well as a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera that captures video in 720p HD.

The Motorola XOOM showcases the innovations of the Honeycomb user experience that improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization, as well as featuring the latest Google™ Mobile services. The Motorola XOOM also features full support for tabbed browsing and support for the Adobe® Flash® Player, available soon as a free download, to enjoy all the video and other rich content available on the Web. For additional information about upgrading their XOOM to 4G LTE, customers can visit www.verizonwireless.com/Xoom4GLTEUpgrade starting Thursday, Feb. 24.
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