The Newest Handphone: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Android and Me

Samsung Droid Charge might be released this Tuesday (Updated)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 12:59 PM PDT

Verizon has been advertising their 4G LTE network to be the largest in the world, as well as the fastest in America, and the recent 4G LTE outage caused great disappointment among their customers. Aside from all the commotion, though, what really bugged some people was the fact that the Samsung Droid Charge was delayed. This device was supposed to be released along with the HTC Droid Incredible 2 and the Casio G’zOne Commando last Thursday, April 28, but Verizon’s second 4G LTE smartphone didn’t make it to the fantastic trio.

Our friends over at Android Central got a hold of some screenshots of a document from Costco, which seems to indicate that the device might be available for purchase this coming Tuesday, May 3rd. The Droid Charge shipments should start arriving this Monday (along with confirmation or revision of the launch date), and all locations should be stocked by the end of Wednesday.

Whether the Samsung Droid Charge will be released this Tuesday or not, we are not completely sure, but the date should be near, since preparations are clearly being already scheduled. If you have been interested in this device, stay tuned to see if it will make it to the shelves on Tuesday, and don’t forget to read Russel’s hands-on with the Droid Charge. As always, share your opinions and comments with us, and keep coming back for more information about the topic.

Update:

Android Central has also received an image of Costco’s inventory screen, further proving that the Droid Charge may be coming on May 5th. The image is now added to the slideshow below, so go ahead and check it out.

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On the verge of real Android fragmentation

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 08:51 AM PDT

Of the many things that get said about Android in an derogatory tone, my least favorite is that of “fragmentation”. The biggest reason for my distaste of the subject is typically the extra junk that gets lumped in, causing even the most rational of conversations to tailspin into a fanboy fight. It’s a subject that is neither clearly defined, nor is there a platform right now that does not also suffer from fragmentation to some extent. The truth of the matter is that Android takes more heat regarding fragmentation due to the volume of handsets that are running the OS. So, my distaste of the subject typically leaves me unwilling to even talk about it, until now. Unfortunately, I see Android on the verge, and in some way already beyond the point, of having actual fragmentation issues.

I was quick to ignore it, but the signs are all around us. The first, and likely the most significant in the not-so-distant future, is app development. When NVIDIA dropped the Tegra 2 Processors, Android saw the advent of the Tegra Zone and Android Market apps with “THD” (Tegra High Definition) on the end. NVIDIA isn’t the only one playing this particular game, either. At this year’s Game Developer Conference, Qualcomm could be seen wooing game developers with the promise of a dual-core chipset with native 3D audio support to create a truly immersive mobile gaming experience. At Appnation this past week, Qualcomm made their Developers Kit, which includes a dev phone made entirely by Qualcomm, for sale to developers. There are already several really impressive looking games on their way to Android, but they will be specifically optimized for the Qualcomm chipset.

Let’s not forget the increasing chasm that exists between Android 2.3 and Android 3.0. This week alone I have installed 3 different apps that either could not run on 3.0, or displayed an error upon install that informed me my device was not supported. Backbreaker HD, which ran amazingly on my phone, isn’t optimized for Tegra 2, and as a result is not even playable. Earlier today, as excited as I was to finally see HBO Go for Android, I was unable to use the service on my Xoom, because my device wasn’t supported. Soon, we’ll see Netflix for Android, but it will only run on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon hardware. The list goes on and on, and the end result is that one day EVERYONE will own a phone that can’t do SOMETHING in the Android world.

Every answer I can think of when it comes to a solution to this problem is the wrong one. Google can’t get involved in policing apps for functionality, lest we lose the “open” Market we’ve come to love so much. The hardware manufacturers will continue to give you a reason to buy one of THEIR phones, and just wait until the carriers get involved so that the random awesome game you want is only available on AT&T. Don’t get me wrong, some parts of this are going to be just amazingly awesome. The rich graphics, the amazing sound, the more powerful handsets are all going to rock, but what exactly is the cost of that much awesome?

Related content:

Android Phone Fans

AirPush Sends Ads to Your Notification Pane (And Why I Think It’s Horrible)
Samsung Galaxy S II Root Achieved
T-Mobile: We Downloaded a Crap Ton of Stuff While Verizon’s 4G Network Was Down

AirPush Sends Ads to Your Notification Pane (And Why I Think It’s Horrible)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 01:54 PM PDT

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So I just got done watching this video from an ad agency called AirPush that will allow developers to target users in a much more effective way – right from the notification pane. I immediately wondered what type of response they’d get from users. I’m sure developers are intrigued, but what about the people they’ll be showing these ads to?

AirPush’s technology will allow developers to send advertisements to your notification pane even if you’re not using the app. That’s the first bad part. The second bad part is that these ads are in my freaking notification pane where I expect to see stuff that I actually care about.

And what if you have multiple apps from the same or different developers with this technology? Yep, you’d probably need to wade through a sea of notification ads (it already sounds horrible) before you can get to your real notifications. I imagine this sort of thing will become very popular with developers for a few different reasons.

Why developers will love this

For starters, like I mentioned above, these will be pushed to a user’s notification pane at any time – they don’t even need to be in the app to help make the developer money. This tactic seems quite intrusive and I don’t imagine participating developers will give users the option to disable them.

Tying into the point above, users will be more likely to click on an advertisement in their notification pane than one inside the application they’re using. Whether it be by accident (because you thought it was a real notification) or just because certain users will want to get rid of them without having to dismiss legitimate notifications from other applications they use, the click rate would probably be much higher than traditional practices.

Finally, these types of ads would not be subject to the various ad-blocking methods out there for rooted users. Unless developers find a way to block notifications from certain services from showing up, there is nothing they can do to stop it short of removing the application itself.

Resistance isn’t futile, it’s inevitable and it works

It’s not just me who thinks this is a bad idea. Developers and users alike have taken to reddit and other channels to express their distaste for AirPush. Folks are coming together to try and identify which apps use it and developers are looking to build an application that would keep AirPush from working. Take a look at two posts on reddit – here and here – if you’d like to learn more and if you want to put your own word in.

Users in the Android market feel the same way, too. The developer behind APNDroid was the first to implement AirPush and immediately felt the resistance from his users. They complained so much that the amount of reports dubbing the application as “malicious” forced Google to take it off the market temporarily. It has since been republished, but the developer said he has learned his lesson and will no longer implement AirPush.

Developers should keep their ads within their own apps

“Go and use another free application or buy the full app,” you shout. Sure, that’s an option. And believe me, I’m all for developers making money. (I have a large list of paid apps that I use regularly.) But what I’m not for is them shoving their revenue generating tactic down our throats even when we’re not inside their application.

For that reason alone, I’ll close by saying I hope AirPush doesn’t take off. There are some who might like it and some who think it might be better for users, but if APNdroid is anything to go by, no one wants this on Android. The notification system was made to bring the information you want and need to the forefront without having to jump into each and every application you own each time you need a quick update. Don’t abuse it, folks.

I’m only one man with one opinion, though. What about you guys? Will AirPush be a harmless commodity for developers to embrace or do you think this sort of advertising would destroy your Android experience? Let your opinion be known in the poll and comments section below. [Thank you to Manny for drawing our attention to this!]

Samsung Galaxy S II Root Achieved

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 11:11 AM PDT

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We figured it’d be quite easy to crack this thing considering Samsung has no interest in locking down their devices without need. The Samsung Galaxy S II has been rooted. The process is fairly simple for experienced rooters, but even folks new to the scene should be able to pull it off without a hitch. You can find the instructions at XDA if you’re interested. [via AndroidForums.com]

T-Mobile: We Downloaded a Crap Ton of Stuff While Verizon’s 4G Network Was Down

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 10:43 AM PDT

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T-Mobile wasn’t going to let this juicy opportunity slip away. In what has to be a very gutsy blow to the – well – gut, T-Mobile has tweeted Verizon to let them know that they were able to get stuff done on their 4G network while Verizon’s 4G network was down. Here’s the full tweet for your consideration:

And with that I leave you to talk amongst yourselves because I don’t think I can follow that statement with anything worthy enough of being said. [TmoNews]

Android Community

TuneIn Radio Pro adds stream recording
Wuala takes Android safely to the cloud
Droid Incredible 2 Review
Samsung Galaxy S II Rooted by Chainfire
Fring Mobile Group Video out of beta
HTC Inspire ROM Update Enables HSUPA – Hands On Test
Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update brings Video Chat to Google Talk
Motorola Atrix update now official

TuneIn Radio Pro adds stream recording

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 10:39 AM PDT

Who knows how long this will last, but RadioTime has released an update to it’s popular TuneIn Radio Pro for Android app which allows for recording of radio streams. Users can simply tap on the red record button and the app saves the stream as an .m4a file. There’s also a DVR function that allows users to pause and backup. Users can then play back the file through the TuneIn Radio app, upload it to DropBox, or even email it to a friend.

The app provides more than 50,000 radio streams of music, news, sports and talk radio. Users can enjoy radio from all over the world and even some satellite stations like Sirius 98. Local radio stations are also available. Audio quality is streamed between 32kbps and 128. And users can also save their favorite stations as presets and create a sleep timer or alarm to record automatically.

When I was kid, you could record broadcast radio and there was nothing anyone could due thanks to the Fair Use doctrine. Then along came the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. So with the music industry going after legal use of music via fair use on every front, how long can this feature really last? So get it while you can. The app is available at both the Amazon App Store and the Android Market for $0.99.

[via Androinica]

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Wuala takes Android safely to the cloud

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 10:24 AM PDT

Android users looking for a safe and secure cloud storage option may want to check out Wuala. This online storage service uses an encryption method where the files on your Android handset are encrypted. Then when users upload them to the cloud, not even Wuala knows what they are. Users can also use Wuala to sync across multiple platforms and computers, so files are up to date everywhere.

Wuala also stores files redundantly, so that in the case of calamity, files are still available. And like Drop Box, users can select what files can be shared by who via invitation. Pro pay options include backup, sync, going back into time to retrieve an old version of a file.

To date, Wuala has stored nearly 500 million files securely. The application is free and comes with 1GB of cloud storage included upon sign up. Additional pay storage options start at $30 for ten gigs, and goes up to 250GB for around $290 a year. Users can also contact Wuala should more storage be required.

[via AndroidGuys]

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Droid Incredible 2 Review

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 08:22 AM PDT

Last April, when we reviewed the original Droid Incredible, we said, “the Droid Incredible is HTC's best-specified Android handset on the market”. At that time, it was a flagship. The Incredible 2, while a very nice phone, is now more of a mid-level device. It has a great camera, takes decent video, and a nice size 4 inch screen. It also has very good battery life, lasting all day with some to spare. Keep reading for all the details, speed tests and benchmarks.

The shape and size of the Incredible 2 is similar to the HTC Incredible S, now on sale in Europe. It has the same molded plastic chassis as the Incredible S, and the original Incredible. The construction feels solid and high quality.

This Droid also has a 1GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, though it is the newer MSM8255 model. It has 1GB of ROM space, and RAM is 768MB. The GPU is the Adreno 205. The four inch touchscreen is a WVGA, Super LCD. The main camera is 8 megapixels with dual-LED flash and autofocus, along with 720p HD video recording capability. There is also a front-facing camera for video chat, but it is only 1.3 megapixels and is fixed-focus. It will do the job it’s intended to do, but not more. This phone is labelled a World Phone, with both CDMA and EVDO Rev.A connectivity for North America, and HSPA connectivity for use abroad.

This phone does not have the optical joystick seen on the Incredible, it has been replaced with on-screen cursor control in Android 2.2 Froyo. The standard four buttons are HTC’s trick rotating buttons, which turn 90-degrees when the phone is turned – a cool feature. The tapered sides on the phone make it feel a bit thinner than it actually is, and in my opinion anyway, make it very comfortable to hold.

Software and Performance

We really would have liked to see Gingerbread on this phone, but as of now we are looking at Froyo out of the box. However, there is likely to be a software update coming down the pike. HTC Sense keeps things running nicely, feeling fresh, and keeps us from being too disappointed.

The single-core Snapdragon processor means this phone is not a dual-core beast like the Motorola Atrix or LG G2X, but it does well enough. Unless you are planning to run dual-core intensive apps or games, the Snapdragon will keep things cooking along nicely. Included also is 3G Mobile Hotspot functionality, Flash Player 10.2 support, and SRS WOWHD pseudo-surround sound processing, which adds some extra depth to audio, but isn’t exactly Dolby.

Benchmarks and Speed Tests

Benchmark-wise, in Quadrant the Incredible 2 scored 1509.

SunSpider – the test of JavaScript performance in the browser – came in at 5982.5ms.

Camera

The DROID Incredible 2′s main 8mp camera is quite solid. Stills are clear and crisp, at least in daylight conditions. There are also some cool features in HTC’s camera UI, like Distortion, Vignette (focuses on the foreground), Vintage, Grayscale, Sepia, Solarize, and Posterize. Below are some examples taken with the phone:

Regular camera, no effects

Vignette

Posterize

The color accuracy is good, and the flash is strong, giving a decent picture even in low light.

The front facing camera is just adequate, but it does the job it’s intended to do. Here’s a quick shot taken with it, you can see the quality difference:

The 720p HD video looks good, adjusting well in low-light situations and looking smooth and jag-free (unless you pan quickly, then you get blur and tearing). 1080p would be nice, but that isn’t realistic with the single core Snapdragon. Here is a quick video taken with the camera, my daughter filling you in on the important subject of “skunk safety”. She is an excellent test subject, because she never stands still.

Phone and Battery

Call quality was good, I didn’t have any problems hearing callers or vice versa, even in windy conditions. No doubt the integrated noise-cancellation system helped. Of course, you do not have the 4G LTE connectivity that you would get with the HTC Thunderbolt and the DROID Charge.

The DROID Incredible 2 gives you a full day’s use on a single charge. That's pretty much average for a current-gen smartphone, and of course you can extend runtimes by turning off some of the social networking integration or cutting back on how frequently they check for updates.

Wrap-Up

Priced from $99 (on Amazon) for a new, two-year agreement, and going up to $199 (for exisiting customers on contract), the DROID Incredible 2 by HTC is a cheaper option than Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones. The technology it’s based on, a single-core processor with 3G, is on the way out, so this phone may begin to feel dated fairly quickly. Especially as devices like the Galaxy S II come out, which demonstrate that a dual-core processor doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice battery life.

But as a mid-range handset, the Droid Incredible 2 is a solid choice. HTC Sense running on top of Android 2.2 Froyo makes the OS feel fresh, this is not vanilla Froyo. And there is the likelihood that a Gingerbread update will be coming soon for this phone. The Incredible 2 may no longer be the flagship phone the original Incredible was, but for the price it is a good, mainstream handset with a fast-enough processor and decent battery life. The 8mp camera is a major plus as well. Overall, this phone will have everything you’re looking for in a mid-range smartphone. If that is what you are looking for, the Droid Incredible will not dissapoint.

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Samsung Galaxy S II Rooted by Chainfire

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 09:15 PM PDT

All you’ve gotta do is flash this thing down here and run SuperOneClick, and poof! It’s a root! Chainfire is a developer from over at XDA Developer Forums who’s about to go on a death-defying 10 day fast from dev work. Why, I do not know. What I do know is that before he left, he granted the world a lovely Kernel so that they may feast upon a rooted Galaxy S II. You’ll have to be one of the few lucky enough to already have one of these devices in your hands of course to have all the fun, but it’s nice to know it’ll be there for you once you’re part of the bigtime Samsung Galaxy S II party – and what a party it’s going to be!

This Kernel whipped up by Chainfire gave him a load of issues for one reason or another and he explains that it’s not a traditional or “proper” CF-Root. One of the reasons Chainfire has for this is that he’s like the majority of the rest of us, and also doesn’t actually have the device in hand! What he’s made this on is more than likely the early build of the phone released before the actual hardware is ready to take off across the whole world. What this project amounts to at the moment is the XWKDD kernel in “insecure” mode, this meaning that you’re going to be using “adb root” command followed by grabbing root shell using adb shell.

With this lovely shell you’re going to be able to remount / system read/write, push su / Superuser, busybox and everything else your box’o'root tools might contain. What Chainfire’s provided for you to use to get to this point is the XWKDD kernel and the new Odin. If you have NO IDEA what that means, it’s better that you just know that we’re well on our way to a completely free and open playground in an ultimate bigtime phone that isn’t even really released yet! Hooray! Check out the full XDA thread over here for full details.

Also don’t forget to check out our good man Chris Davies’ full review of this lovely phone, complete with the cutest transparent Android companion as helper!

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[via XDA Developers Forum]

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Fring Mobile Group Video out of beta

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 01:19 PM PDT

Earlier this month, we reported that Fring was beta testing a group video app which would allow users to make video chat calls. At the time, the App was available by invitation only. Now, as of today, Fring’s group video chat is now out of beta and is available for download. The Group video calling feature users to hold a group video chat with 3 other friends, even over 3G.

“There is no reason why users need to run home to their PC in order to have a 'spontaneous' video call with their friends and family,” said Avi Shechter, co-founder and CEO of Fring. “…we are the first to give users the ability to see all their friends on their phone at the same time, anywhere.”

Fring started the video chat revolution back in 2009, introducing mobile phones to mobile video chat that was one to one and largely fairly dodgy. But as phones have gotten more powerful and networks faster, so has the quality of the calls. And with smartphones moving towards multi-core processors, the ability make group video chat calls is a natural next step. So it makes sense that Fring would be blazing that trail.

The group video chat feature is also cross platform, meaning that Android, iOS callers, and even select Nokia handsets can enjoy each others lovely mugs on the same call. When making a four way call, the screen divides “Brady Bunch style” into four separate windows. And Fring calls are free (data caps do apply, however) . Look for it at the Android Marketplace.

[via PocketLint]

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HTC Inspire ROM Update Enables HSUPA – Hands On Test

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 12:54 PM PDT

When we heard that the HTC Inspire 4G has a ROM update enabling HSUPA for better data speeds, we had to give it a try ourselves. After some fits and starts, not finding the update, and then having some downloading difficulties, our own Ben Bajarin got it installed. So how did it do?

Here the speed test before:

And here it is after:

If you notice there isn’t much difference, and also that the speeds are pretty slow, that isn’t really a reflection on the update. Ben lives out in the boonies and can’t really get a great connection. We will be updating this post with a non-boonies test soon.

Meanwhile, have you updated? What kinds of speeds are you seeing? The update will be sent out over the air, but you can also check for it yourself, see graphic below and click for link:

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Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update brings Video Chat to Google Talk

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 12:14 PM PDT

The latest Gingerbread update, Android 2.3.4, as a treat for fans of Google Voice. Users can now use the Voice Chat app to make video calls. And not only to Android devices but also to Google Talk users on PC and Mac. And unlike Facetime, the app can use 3G and 4G networks rather than just Wi-Fi.

To make a call, users just go to the Google Talk app and press the video chat icon next to a contact’s name. In addition to making video calls, users can also send text messages that are incorporated into the video screen. Users can also continue the call, audio only, while using another application. The feature is currently running on Nexus S phones, with more Android Handset coming in the near future.

Wow. It’s yet another category that the bot is passing Apple by with. When first introduced the FaceTime feature on the iPhone 4, it was a fresh new feature, but it could only work on WiFi. Now, with applications like Google Talk, Skype, and Qik offering video chat not only over WiFi, but via 3G and 4G networks with Android, video chat is becoming a competitive feature set. The real question though is, with data caps in place by all wireless providers, how often will it be used?

[via PocketLint]

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Motorola Atrix update now official

Posted: 29 Apr 2011 11:54 AM PDT

Well that didn’t take long. AT&T has announced that the Motorola Atrix update we reported this morning is now official and out of Beta. Not only that, but there’s not one, but two updates. Firmware updates 4.1.57 and 4.1.83 offer improved battery life, multimedia with Bluetooth and other headsets, 2G/EDGE mobile hotspot capability, better data speed, Yahoo e-mail over WiFi and numerous other tweeks. The Atrix display will also now turn off while charging from a wall charger.

To update your Atrix phone, AT&T advises connecting to a WiFi hotspot or private WiFi network. Users will then receive an OTA update notification. Select “Download” and then “Install Now” once the download has completed. The Atrix will automatically restart. Please note that if not connected via Wi-Fi, users will not be able to start the download.

Should users be unable to update their phones, AT&T advises to verify WiFi connection and then disable WiFi settings under the Wireless and Networks tab. Then re-enable WiFi settings and reboot. Then reconnect and try again. If users need additional assistance, contact AT&T. Thanks to Zack at Droid-Life for the heads up!

[via AT&T Support]

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