Android Community |
- LauncherPro Plus now in the Android Market
- DroidLanding has been powered on again, check out Twitter
- Samsung Fascinate to Receive Froyo Tomorrow [Verizon Confirms]
- T-Mobiles big day, G-Slate, G2x, and Sidekick 4G all for sale today
- Pocket Legends Celebrates 1 Year of Mayhem – Libations for Everybody!
- Toshiba Regza AT300 Android tablet surfaces
- Motorola Droid Bionic is delayed
- Kosmaz Compufon concept needs to get built
- Skype Android update enabled 3G VoIP in US
- Motorola XOOM 3G on sale in UK now
- Toshiba Regza Tablet AT300 gets official & priced
- ACER Iconia Tab A500 Review
- T-Mobile Sidekick 4G Review
- T-Mobile G Slate confirms launch date as April 20
- Motorola Droid Bionic delayed, getting enhancements
- Apple’s iOS has twice the reach of Android … for now
- Morphy Android Concept bends with you
| LauncherPro Plus now in the Android Market Posted: 20 Apr 2011 10:18 AM PDT For those that don’t know. Launcher Pro is a home replacement app that is probably the most popular for Android, next to maybe ADW. It changes the look and feel of your device. With LauncherPro you get tons of features and enhancements, you can speed up home screen scrolling, add as many or as little home screens as you’d like, and more. Most of you should know plenty about LP already.
It is now available in the Android Market and has all the newest features that have been added in there. If you haven’t tried it yet, now is a good time. Widget theme support, and many other options make LP great. It gives you widgets like HTC Sense, but better and more, and are all highly highly customizable. LP is free in the market where I linked to above, but if you get LauncherPro Plus you will unlock all the features this amazing home replacement has to offer, re-size your widgets and more, friends stream widgets, you name it. There is to many features to list. Check it out yourself. Before it was only available with Paypal, but now with all the payment options in Android you can get LP Plus in the Android Market Now. Feel free to check it out, or comment below if you like LP, or ADW better. I use ADW EX myself. )
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| DroidLanding has been powered on again, check out Twitter Posted: 20 Apr 2011 10:08 AM PDT It looks like the ever so popular @DroidLanding is at it again and has reactivated. The last time we heard from these guys was around 3 or so months ago. For those that don’t know, they tweet information or clues as to where you can find your very own DROID for free. The Droid X, and Droid 2 campaigns were both very popular and people were going crazy trying to find these devices all throughout the states.
“Field Agents Await Instructions” is what they had to say. Basically this means something is coming, and if you follow @DroidLanding you might be a lucky one and get a free Droid phone to use on Verizon Wireless. It is not as easy as it sounds as the clues they give out are encrypted and they help you as the day continues until someone finds the device. I almost got the one in Vegas, was a few minutes late. We don’t know what they plan to push here. It could be the Droid Charge, the Incredible 2, or my guess is the Droid X2, hey even the possibly canceled Bionic might make it into the mix. We will see as the landing page starts to initialize its forces. [via @DroidLanding] )
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| Samsung Fascinate to Receive Froyo Tomorrow [Verizon Confirms] Posted: 20 Apr 2011 09:59 AM PDT We’ve just received a note from Verizon letting us and the world know that Android 2.2 Froyo will be pushing to the Samsung Fascinate tomorrow, April 21st, 2011. This update brings the phone up to nearly the newest mobile operating system, trumped, of course, only by Android 2.3 Gingerbread and the tablet-based version of the OS, 3.0 Honeycomb. We would expect that the update will start shooting out over the air tomorrow in certain areas of the country, but if you just can’t wait, there’s always a manual download.
If you do not want to wait for the server to send you your update, you can grab it yourself by following the following simple steps. You can also use these steps whenever you’d like to check and see if there’s an update on any ol’ odd day of the year. Benefits of doing this lovely update can be found [here] 1. From the main menu tap Menu Once the screen pops up that says you’ve got a download available, press OK. Once your download has completed, select OK to install it. Once your software is installed, press OK again and you’ll be golden! If you receive this update as a notification from the server, you’ll essentially do the same thing except you’ll only have to press OK once! )
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| T-Mobiles big day, G-Slate, G2x, and Sidekick 4G all for sale today Posted: 20 Apr 2011 09:55 AM PDT Wow, talk about a lot of exciting products all launching at the same time. Usually carriers do one thing at a time. Looks like T-Mobile isn’t wasting any time trying to be the best even though they might become AT&T-Mobile. Today being April 20th, you can now purchase in-store the LG G-Slate, the LG G2x, and the Sidekick 4G. We have reviewed them all this week, so you’ll want to see those for sure.
Lets start with the Sidekick 4G. We all remember how popular that phone was for a long time, the original that is. We have done some exclusive hands-on and you can see that full review here. Next up is the awesome LG G-Slate, the 8.9″ dual-camera 3D capturing, dual-core featuring beast of an Android 3.0 tablet. Check out our full review of the G-Slate here. Last but not least is the LG G2x dual-core Tegra 2 smartphone that just launched on T-Mobile starting today also. We have been playing with it all week long, check out our G2x Review. Looks like our friend Chris Burns has been busy playing with all those toys. We have also been doing all sorts of tests on these devices. Here are some G2x and Sidekick 4G speedtest results (varies by city/time of day or course). Or if you are stuck between the Thunderbolt, the Atrix, or the G2x check out this little comparison. I know that was a lot to take in, but enjoy it. T-Mobile G2x is $199 with new 2-year contract, $499 if you buy it outright.
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| Pocket Legends Celebrates 1 Year of Mayhem – Libations for Everybody! Posted: 20 Apr 2011 09:39 AM PDT So you know that massively successful game Pocket Legends, the one where you’re online with all of your pals running around having a great time? You’ll soon be having an even GREATER time when you collect all your FREE swag that Spacetime Studios is giving away in celebration of their first year in business. Behold all the sweet stuff – and if you’ve got it all already, you get something even MORE sweet than the basics!
Have a peek at the list below and see how your Pocket Legends life is about to smell so much nicer. This premium content will remain free until Monday the 4th of May, 2011. What we’re looking at here is a collection of Adventure Areas that you’ll be loving to take a peek at, each of them previously costing you real cash to access. Have a taste of the high life for free: • Alien Oasis Trilogy Sounds fabulous to me! In addition, there’s a full update coming your way, this 1 Year Anniversary Game Update including the following:
Free helms! Free shields! Hooray forever! Also watch this wacky dude speak:
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| Toshiba Regza AT300 Android tablet surfaces Posted: 20 Apr 2011 06:38 AM PDT Toshiba has unveiled a new tablet for Android fans that runs Android 3.0. The tablet is called the Regza Tablet AT300 and it looks very interesting. The tablet is able to use the Regza Connect apps that the company has for its Smart TV users and can access the apps on the Android Market as well.
One of the apps allows the tablet to work as the remote control for the Regza line of TVs. It has HDMI output to the big screen. It has the ability to share photos and other content using USB and SD cards. Bluetooth and WiFi are both integrated into the AT300. Other features include a 10.1-inch screen, 16GB of storage, and the tablet uses a Tegra 2 processor. It has a rear-facing camera along with a front facing camera. The specs on the camera didn't translate from the Japanese language press release, but near as I can tell it has a 2MP front camera and a 5MP rear camera. Pricing and availability are unknown. )
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| Motorola Droid Bionic is delayed Posted: 20 Apr 2011 05:14 AM PDT
Verizon Wireless will be the carrier of the smartphone. A Motorola spokeswoman said, “Based on compelling feedback since [Consumer Electronics Show in January], we are incorporating several enhancements to make this an even better consumer experience.” The smartphone is going to operate on the 4G network from Verizon Wireless. Speculation was that the Bionic had been scrapped in favor of a different Motorola device. The device first surfaced at CES 2011. Exactly what changes are being made to the smartphone are unknown. [via WSJ] )
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| Kosmaz Compufon concept needs to get built Posted: 20 Apr 2011 04:05 AM PDT Every now and then, I run across a concept device that is so cool it just has to be built. The new Compufon concept from Kosmaz Technologies is one of the devices that is firmly in that has to be built category for me, and luckily it will be built. The Compufon is a blocky monolith looking smartphone that would need apes dancing around it were it black.
The concept uses the Android OS and the key would be that the rectangular smartphone would be able to slip into two different docking stations to suit different needs of the user. One of the docking stations turns the smartphone into a tablet and the concept has a leather case that turns it into a notebook with a keyboard for the tablet. It sounds a lot like the Eee Pad Transformer in a smartphone package. Android 3.0 will be the OS and the tablet dock has a 10.6-inch screen, stereo speakers, and integrated Bluetooth headphones. The coolest part about the concept right now is that the company plans to build it. Kosmaz Technologies says that the Compufon will hit market in Q4 2011.    )
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| Skype Android update enabled 3G VoIP in US Posted: 20 Apr 2011 03:34 AM PDT Skype has updated its Android app, with the biggest change being that VoIP calls are now supported over 3G in the US. Previous versions of the app had limited 3G voice calls via Skype to WiFi connections, though only in the US; now, it seems Skype has wrangled access from the carriers for all.
Skype for Android v1.0.0.983 also tweaks some security issues identified recently, but it’s the 3G functionality that makes the biggest difference. Previously only the Verizon-specific version of the app had allowed data use of VoIP. You can download Skype for Android from the Android Market; at time of writing the updated version isn’t showing in the online Market. It’s a free app. )
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| Motorola XOOM 3G on sale in UK now Posted: 20 Apr 2011 02:20 AM PDT Good news if you’re in the UK and have been eyeing Motorola’s XOOM tablet: the 3G version of the slate is now listed as in-stock at exclusive retailer Carphone Warehouse. The 10.1-inch slate is £579.99 ($948) if you buy it unlocked and SIM-free, or priced from £129.99 ($213) with a new, two-year agreement.
Those agreements range from £25 per month for 5GB of data (with the XOOM being £129.99), to £25 for unlimited data if you pay £199.99 for the slate. Alternatively there are month-to-month data plans from £7.50, though you generally pay full whack for the XOOM itself. If you’re still in two minds about the XOOM, check out the full Android Community review to get all the details. [Thanks thechevron!] )
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| Toshiba Regza Tablet AT300 gets official & priced Posted: 20 Apr 2011 12:55 AM PDT Toshiba has finally made its Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet official, with the 10.1-inch slate newly christened the Toshiba Regza Tablet AT300. Fronted by a 1280 x 800 “Adaptive Display” which promises better visibility when outdoors, the AT300 runs NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 processor with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.
Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, HDMI, an SD card slot, USB and miniUSB. There’s also a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a 2-megapixel camera on the front, along with a battery Toshiba reckons is good for up to 7hrs use. Interestingly, there’s also Toshiba’s “Regza Apps Connect” which allows the AT300 slate to integrate with other devices from the company’s A/V range, including HDTVs, Blu-ray players and notebooks. It will hit Japan in June, priced at the equivalent of around $700; US availability is tipped for sometime in the first half of 2011.     [via CrunchGear] )
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| Posted: 19 Apr 2011 11:27 PM PDT Welcome to the next big fat item on our list of the Honeycomb wave. This is the ACER Iconia Tab A500 Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. Inside you’ll find what’s basically an untouched version of Google’s tablet-optimized mobile operating system with a few apps added and a couple of generally alright cameras in play for a oddly shaped package of mixed conclusions indeed. With this tablet, Acer hopes to cut holes in the tablet market. Will they have the guts to trick it out? Find out, here and now!
Hardware What you’ve got here is a 10.24 x 6.97 x 0.52-inch (260 x 177 x 13.3-mm,) 25.75-oz (730-g) heavy 10.1-inch display sized Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. It’s got an aluminum back, plastic panels on the left and right, and a removable panel on top for the SIM and the SDcard. Inside this device you’re going to find 16GB of memory along with 64GB of extra storage available via your SDcard slot – the device does not come with a card, but you’ve got one, right?
The display on this slate is sitting at a resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels and it’s LCD. On the front of this device is a 2-megapixel camera whilst the back totes a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and auto-focus. And what’s inside powering all this sweet stuff? Our good pal NVIDIA! You’ll be working an Tegra 250 Dual cortex A9 1GHz processor, a fabulous customer indeed – as you’ll be seeing in Performance below.
AND this monster will be supporting LTE speeds. Get your racecars out for when that’s going to occur. Currently we’re just in Wifi so we’ve got not tests as such. The same goes for the USB port – This is a MASTER port which means it’ll run things like USB keyboards down the line, along with other magical items that noone can even fathom quite yet. Any more ideas?
Software If you know anything about Honeycomb, you know basically everything about the insides of this device other than a few key points. There’s a few apps in here that make a bit of difference, one of them an organizational system that essentially amounts to some clever wallpapers helping you visualize where your apps should be. There’s also an app by the name of Clear.fi. It’s called Acer Clear.fi to be more specific, and it works a simple-to-use wireless network that works between whichever devices you’ve got the app installed on, you able to share media this way at will.
Other than that, it’s the usual set of NVIDIA items, Tegra Zone, (which you can get a full review of here,) Hero of Sparta 2 (from Gameprom,) Need for Speed Shift HD, and the rest. There’s less than 40 apps on the tablet when you get it, that being ok but not the best when it comes to having a small amount of apps, (ideal if you ask anyone I know,) but definitely alright. Take a peek at a lookthrough of the device here: Mostly familiar with a few bits and pieces of extra cogs and pulleys – yes?
Camera On this device when you’re considering just the hard numbers given to the cameras, it seems a bit odd that the front would be given the highest rated camera on the tablet market at the moment, and the back camera would be given the second highest. That is to say that front-facing cameras are quite often 2-megapixels at their highest while back-facing cameras are getting up around 8-megapixels these days, the A500′s back-facing camera is sitting slightly lower at 5. But they’re just numbers, right? Let’s have a look at what some example photos might hold for evidence:
You’ll notice a little bit of color oddness going on in both videos. Looking at the screen while either of the cameras were activated showed a slightly fuzzy image due to discoloration as well. Photos appear to have been unaffected.
Performance Like every other dual-core tablet we’ve had out hands on thus far, (each of them also toting a Tegra 2 processor as well,) everything is zippy. Games open faster than they appear to on single core systems, the tablet displays colors brilliantly, and the device doesn’t appear to have anything holding it back. Would you like to see some benchmarks? Let’s have a look!
As you can see, this is another device that’s right up inside the top guns with the other two devices we just had a look at. Interesting, yes? Have a look at those results: T-Mobile G-Slate and T-Mobile G2x. Powerwheels! If it’s just the numbers in here that matter, then it’s not the numbers you can go by, it’s the hardware.
Battery There is one fat battery in this mother, and it’s 3260 mAh, which means it should last quite a while at any level of usage. In fact, what I’ve seen with this device is that you’re going to be able to go AT LEAST 24 hours with medium use. If you watch movies the entire time, you’re looking at only 2 or three probably, but you never know. Medium to high use, 24 hours or more. That’s what’s going on here. And the charging goes quick too, great transformer up in here. Zero to 100% in under an hour.
Wrap-Up If you’ve got an Acer monitor for your computer right this moment, then this is the tablet for you. Acer makes lovely items that run Windows OS and display cool graphics via wires fun from PC computers. They also make pretty laptops that run Windows and now they’ve got a tablet that runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb. This is their first realistic run at finding their way into the Android community and they’ve gone directly for the throat – the boss, the big cheese, the 10.1-inch tablet
This is the throat of Android beast, and Acer has decided to cut at it with an aluminum sword. Is it enough? It’s enough to cut out a chunk of the sales of the rest of the Android tablets out there because people will like the look of it and people trust the name Acer, especially if they already own, say, an Android monitor. If they like the idea of a full-sized USB plug being on their tablet, this is their only choice right this moment. If someone wants to beat the pants off the G-Slate and the XOOM and the G2x in benchmark tests but wants to do it with another name attached, here comes the Acer Iconia Tab A500 to the rescue!
How though then will you decide between this tablet and the rest? You could consider the cost, though the difference is right around $100, and you’re already spending at least $400 on a device you’ll either be purchasing for fun or for business, so either way $100 isn’t a big difference. So what’s that leave – processor speed? Internal storage? Compared to the competition, they’re also essentially the same. How about the hardware? Ah, that’s the stuff. This device has a Dolby speaker system, it’s light, has a casing that’s nearly wholly aluminum, and it’s silver. If you’ll take a look at the image above, you’ll see that it’s got a whole different situation going on compared to the rest of the tablets that’ve come out in the recent past, and it’s made by Acer.
My best recommendation for everyone considering what Android tablet to purchase in these early Honeycomb days is to go to the store and handle the tablets, even if you aren’t able to turn them on. These other specs matter, but if you’re going to be using a tablet extensively, you’re going to want to like how it feels in your hands and on your lap. This is a new concept, something that’s been around since advent of laptops, but like never before : it’s in this tablet and its metal and plastic brethren: Form matters most.                                 )
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| Posted: 19 Apr 2011 03:28 PM PDT It’s electric! The following is a journey through T-Mobile’s newest Sidekick effort – a project that’s produced a device that’s no less than a hipster masterpiece, one that’ll make all your oddly fashioned cloth wearing friends say “uh, I don’t want to sound like a newb or anything, but that phone looks like it’s totally amazing, and I have no idea why I don’t already have it.” That’s right – this is the phone that all the art students who live on the South side of Minneapolis will want to be grabbing asap lest they miss the pink bus – aka they’re going to want to get the one I’ve got here, the white and pink edition. So cute!
First Impressions There’s two different moments when you “first see” a phone if you’re a person who reviews electronics for a living like yours truly. First there’s the first time you open the box – you’ve got to see what’s inside the box, you’ve got to pop the batter cover off the device, and you’ve got to see if the device will turn on without the assistance of a battery. Then there’s the second time you first see the phone – you’re not in as much of a rush, you can sit down, stand up, walk around with the device and use it as a phone or text, and you can watch a little movie on it – or a big movie, as you’re about to see below.
Once I started to handle this device in ernest, I realized that, while other phones made of mostly plastic seemed flimsy and sometimes less than comfortable to the palm of my hand, this one was molded and formed to fit both my hands and my pocket-with-keys and often-dropping lifestyle. If you take this phone and whip it at the ground as hard as you possibly can (and I haven’t tested this, note,) the worst thing that’s going to happen is that the battery cover is going to pop off. The screen might also get a little scratched as it’s no Gorilla Glass, but wait – why are you throwing this device against the ground anyway?
Because odd stuff comes up, and when it does, you’re going to want to have a unique phone to go along with it. That’s what’s going on here with the T-Mobile Sidekick 4G. Because this device comes from a long line of oddities, so too must this review be a bit non-traditional. That’s why the next category is: What Color Combo Should I Get? This device is going to sell on Brand Power. What that means is that people know the Sidekick brand like they know the iPhone brand. Obviously it’s not exactly the same, but it IS a more powerful connection, I’d contend, than people’s loyalty to the Galaxy brand from Samsung – agree? Disagree? EIther way, the Sidekick brand is powerful, and Samsung has a fox by the tail, a cute fox that everyone is going to want to get ahold of, regardless of what his guts look like.
In other words, this device could sell without Android on it. Obviously I and we are interested in the device because it’s got Android on it, and we’re using it thusly, but it’s really not Android that this device is strong for. That said, the 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor holds its own for all sorts of fun stuff – like watching an HD video file of Tron: Legacy for example: And what color combo should you get? Why, pink and white, of course! Your other combination of colors is black, but if you’re thinking about purchasing a sidekick in order that you might blend into the background – you’re going to be out of luck either way. What you WILL BE in luck for is a messaging and social-media fantasy where sharing your daily activities is as easy as pushing out that screen from its loving hard plastic bosom. And that’s really easy, if you did not already know.
How’s the Camera? Well let’s have a look: the back-facing camera is 3-megapixels and the front-facing camera is VGA at .3 megapixels. Have a look at some examples below and see what you think:
NOTE: There is no front-facing video. Obviously you can use the front-facing camera for photos and chat via Qik, but videos are not a built-in option. Harsh!
How’s the Battery? This phone doesn’t use very much power in any aspect, therefor its 1500 mAh battery will more than last you the full 24 hours. That said, if you want to watch Tron, you might have to charge the battery after you’re done.
Phone/ Sound Quality? Check out the sound quality on the speakers in the Tron video above – it’s quite nice. T-Mobile is putting out a few devices, this one and the two LG brothers, that all have fairly nice sound systems on them. It’s like they’re fulfilling my dream of a boombox that doesn’t require my arm to be thrown in a sling just for loud beats! The phone works well too – as I say in the demo video above, phonecall quality on all ends with this modern age of smartphone is second to none.
How’s the User Interface? Again, there’s a totally unique Android user interface on this device. If you’re a regular Android user, you’ll recognize where everything comes from, and you’ll definitely enjoy how everything flows. If you’re an Android purist and only like your device to have a Vanilla flavoring to it, I suggest you check out the G2x instead. Users NEW to Android will be in for an extremely enjoyable treat. Not only is this an excellent path into Android, it’s an excellent path into smartphones and the Sidekick line specifically as well. It’s just fun! What you’re seeing in this video is yours truly walking through the phone, pointing out all the bits that may be of interest to you and yours. Hands-on with a brightly colored Android-run messaging machine.
Wrap-Up If you’re used to our most modern review series here on Android Community, you’ll notice a lack of a few things, most notably benchmarks comparing this phone to its compatriots. Why would I skip such a series of tests? Because they don’t matter. What Samsung and T-Mobile have done here with Google and the Sidekick brand is to finally, truly set an Android device apart from the rest of the pack. Processor speeds and rooting ability be forgotten – this is it. This is a brand new direction for smartphone creators to take. We’ll be watching the sales of this device closely, that’s for certain.                  )
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| T-Mobile G Slate confirms launch date as April 20 Posted: 19 Apr 2011 02:28 PM PDT T-Mobile has finally officially confirmed the launch date for the LG Slate. Although we recently reported that T-Mobile stores had the G Slate in the back of stores already, the official launch date for the Android 3 (Honeycomb) tablet has been confirmed for a nationwide release on April 20th. And it will sell for $529.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two year contract for current T-Mobile customers. That’s about $50 cheaper than the Motorola XOOM and $200 cheaper than a comparable iPad 2.
The LG G-Slate has been getting great marks for speed and performance thanks to it’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor and Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS. It also has an 8.9″ multi touch screen that’s capable of showing 3D (with glasses). In addition, it has dual cameras with a 2MP chat come up front and a 5MP rear facing camera that can record at 1080p and there’s also a 3D Camcorder app. Storage wise, the G-Slate has 32GB on board, but sadly there’s no USB expansion slot. Other features include microUSB and full sized HDMI ports, which is a change from the trend of mini HDMI ports on most other models. It is Google Certified, meaning it comes with Google’s mandatory list of 35 apps and is a pure Honeycomb experience with no lagging overlays. Audio wise, the G-Slate has a single speaker up front and stereo speakers in the back. It also comes with a mini headphone jack. Check out our review here. [via T-Mobile Blog] )
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| Motorola Droid Bionic delayed, getting enhancements Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:36 PM PDT Motorola has announced that the Droid Bionic will be delayed until summer in order to receive several “enhancements.” Although there is little detail as to what the enhancements may involve, the decision was made after receiving several “compelling feedback” when the phone was showed at CES in Las Vegas in January. Rumors citing inside sources have been saying that Motorola was going to delay or even right out cancel the Droid Bionic due to technical issues, but Motrola denies that. If Motorola did cancel the Bionic, insiders say it will likely be replaced with the Targa, a high-end 4G phone which has an advanced 13 megapixel camera and will be out later in the year.
The news seems a bit abrupt considering that as early as last month, Verizon employees were saying that the Bionic was to be released by the middle of this month. But then we got the news last week that was less than positive as store employees could only say it was to be coming out “soon.” But if Motorola was truly canceling the heir apparent to the Droid brand, why would they be stalling for time with a promise of enhancements? So let the speculation begin. Perhaps Motorola decided to go ahead and upgrade to the Targa camera. Perhaps, Verizon learned enough from bringing their 4G network online and provided that information to improve Droid 4G connectivity? Or maybe it revolves around Google’s long awaited hybrid between Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) which is more than likely being called Ice Cream. We could do this all day. But one thing is certain, there won’t be a Droid Bionic in anyone’s Easter basket come Sunday. [via Electronista] )
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| Apple’s iOS has twice the reach of Android … for now Posted: 19 Apr 2011 12:29 PM PDT In result from a new study, Apple’s iOS has twice the reach of Android in the US. But the results are a little deceiving as it focuses on iOS products which also include the iPad and iPod Touch. Factoring those in, Apple enjoys a user base of over 37 million, 59 percent higher than Android’s user base of just under 24 million and only includes Android handsets and tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Apple’s share of US mobile subscribers hovers around 16 percent, while Android subscribers are growing and are currently at around 10%, according to the comScore study.
What’s really telling is ratio of iPad ownership to an other phone. iOS device owners don’t necessarily have an iPhone, so there’s likely some cross platform ownership reflected in the data. Only around 25 percent of iPad owners have an iPhone, while 14 percent have an Android phone, and nearly 18 percent have a BlackBerry. That means that users are more likely to have a Samsung, LG or Nokia phone option, according to the study. According to age demographics, ages 25-34 represent about 27 percent of iPad owners. Twenty percent are 35-44, and 15 percent for ages 24 and below. The report also states that the global tablet market is expected to reach $49 billion by 2015. So regardless of platform, the future looks bright. [via comScore] )
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| Morphy Android Concept bends with you Posted: 19 Apr 2011 11:33 AM PDT The Morphy is a design attempt to address a user’s need to keep their phones in their pockets, without having a clunky bulge that mucks up fashion lines. Designs may be elegant, but they are reliant on rigid technologies and thinking when newer options are out there to make a phone far more flexible. The idea of Morphy is that the pliable plastic design will flex and bend as the phone becomes more mailable due to body heat. Once placed in the pocket, it takes a few minutes for body heat to cause Morphy to conform to the body. When it’s placed back on the table and exposed to similar heat, the pliable hybird plastic “memory” will eventually flatten it out.
But not only does it mean a more streamlined manner to carry it, but using existing flexible circuit boards and touchscreen technologies, Kirk Schneider, the designer, says that new phones would be developed even faster than it does now. And if flexible touchscreen technology isn’t available, the designer recommends an array of smaller TFT touchscreens that “float,” independent of one another and form one larger screen that mimics the flexibility of the design. The smaller the TFT screens, perhaps even hundreds as the designer recommends, the more flexible the phone will be. Of course, that also means not only the more expensive, but the more likelihood that one of more may break when dropped. Imagine a dead pixel times 100. But the idea of a a flexible phone that speeds development time is an interesting one. But with Android phones coming out every month or week, it seems, do we really need to speed up the development time? It would be better to lessen those two year wireless commitments.    [via Trapezoid] )
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Motorola’s Droid Bionic smartphone has been delayed long enough for Motorola to make some changes to the device according to the WSJ. The Bionic was originally set to hit the store shelves in Q2 of 2011 but that date has now been pushed. An exact launch date is unknown, but it is pegged for this summer.
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