Android and Me |
- The LG Optimus Black – Unboxing, Benchmarks, and more!
- ZENS brings Qi inductive goodness to Europe!
- MLB.TV introduces mobile-only subscription, Honeycomb still not supported
- Android apps demoed on the Blackberry Playbook (Video)
- Official Google I/O 2011 Android app now available
- Super thin Samsung Galaxy S II actually has Gorilla glass
| The LG Optimus Black – Unboxing, Benchmarks, and more! Posted: 03 May 2011 12:30 PM PDT There’s a certain stigma around any phone that violates the “Stock Android Experience” when it comes to the molten core of the Android community. This volatile group of hotheaded tech gods have a very clear opinion of what Android should look like, and everything else is garbage. Me? I absolutely love anything that’s new. New things are exciting, they force people to think and to change and to do anything BUT remain stagnant. So, when this gigantic box landed on my doorstep this morning when I knew for a fact that the only thing I was supposed to be getting today was the LG Optimus Black for T-Mobile UK and Orange, I had a great feeling that I was going to get to play with something a little less “normal”. Now, I don’t know whether or not this is the box the phone shows up in when you purchase it, but in my opinion it should. LG greets the users, whoever he/she might be, with a fantastic story of why the phone exists, and what they did to make it spectacular. When the story is over, you get the phone, and you’re already prepared to appreciate it. Out of this epic tome of a phone box comes a power cord/USB cable combo, a set of earbuds, a 2GB microSD card with a SD socket card, and a flat black pencil and notepad that match the box it came in. Slide the microSD card and your SIM of choice in and you’re ready to go. The Black is very thin, incredibly light, and still feels extremely sturdy in the hand. The back of the phone is curved as you get closer to either side of the phone, but still mostly flat across the back, giving you very organic-feeling places to put your fingers. Across the top of the phone you have the power button, USB port, and the audio jack. The glossy black front and matte black back meet along the side of the phone with the volume rocker and the “G” button on the left hand side. The virtual keys are barely visible unless light is shining directly on them, though they glow very brightly when needed and flash a deep shade of blue when you tap any of them. Accessing the battery means nearly splitting this phone in half, as the battery plate wraps itself around the phone, giving it such a sturdy feel. Take care in removing the plate – once you get the first few snaps undone, the plate feels quite fragile. It’s not stock Android, that’s for sure. LG opted for their own custom skin that, at first glance, probably has a few UI designers at Samsung scratching their heads. Once you get beyond that first glance, though, LG’s UI is actually very intuitive. Offering up options like the ability to organize your launcher into folder-like sections, and some pinch and zoom quick access in both the homescreen space and the launcher. What really set the UI apart for me was the way you go about attaching things to your homescreen. A very nice menu/UI has been setup to allow for simple navigation and drag and drop of the add-ons you choose. The design is not unlike what’s been seen in Android 3.0 or the homegrown MIUI rom. The stock virtual keyboard seems unable to keep up with the speed in which I type, and as a result mistakes are often made. The UI doesn’t affect any apps and is customizable right down to the launcher, which puts it a step above half of the other UI skins out there today. Android 2.2 is getting a bit tired, however, so let’s hope 2.3.4 is ready for this device soon.
As a single core phone, the Optimus Black is not the most powerful phone out there. In fact, it’s OMAP processor is about the same as the Droid X when it comes to raw power according to benchmarks. However, it’s packing a much more powerful GPU and benchmarks along the same grade as the Droid X for performance on Android 2.2. Stay tuned for a full review of the LG Optimus Black!
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| ZENS brings Qi inductive goodness to Europe! Posted: 03 May 2011 12:18 PM PDT Qi inductive charging certainly seems to be the direction many cell phone manufacturers are heading when it comes to offering convenient charging methods, and the really cool thing about Qi inductive plates is that anything that supports Qi can charge a Qi enabled phone. As it stands right now, not a whole lot of companies are making Qi inductive plates. We’ve got Energizer in the US, and HTC plans to make a charger plate for their Thunderbolt and any other phones that support it, but there’s been little third party momentum until now. ZENS, a Netherlands based manufacturer has started making Qi chargers for Europe. The Qi (pronounced chee) standard was developed in 2010 by the Wireless Power Consortium in which over 80 companies (including Philips, Sanyo, Panasonic, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, HTC and Motorola) participate. As these manufacturers start releasing Qi devices, it’s likely that many users will need inductive plates that support more than a single device. That’s exactly what ZENS has released. Place any two Qi supported devices on the ZENS plate over the top of the Qi symbol and the phone instantly starts charging. ZENS units will be made available in the Netherlands, UK, France, and Germany at local electronics shops and on the internet. Pricing is not currently available on these units, but expect them to start showing up soon!
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| MLB.TV introduces mobile-only subscription, Honeycomb still not supported Posted: 03 May 2011 11:40 AM PDT Beginning with the 2011 season, the official MLB At Bat application for Android now features live games streamed to your Android device for mlb.tv subscribers ($99-$119/year). MLB has announced today that mobile-only version of mlb.tv is now available for $50 for the remainder of the 2011 season, which will allow Android users to stream live broadcasts to their smartphones and tablets. The announcement shows that mlb.tv seems to finally “get it”, recognizing that there are many users out there who don't need to stream baseball games to their PC or internet-connected TV device, but only want to catch some games on their phones or tablets. One serious issue still remains, however. If you happen to have purchased one of those shiny new Honeycomb tablets such as the Xoom or G-Slate, you will not be able to stream live games to your tablet as Honeycomb is still not officially supported. Frankly, this is an embarrassment for both MLB and Google. What is the point of having a portable multimedia device if companies such as MLB can't figure out a way to meaningfully support the tablet-optimized Android OS? MLB and Google need to put their heads together and figure out this problem quickly. Perhaps we'll get lucky and hear something in time for Google I/O, which starts next week, but I won't hold my breath. Rant aside, if you happen to both be a baseball fan and own one (or more) of the devices featured on the supported devices page at mlb.tv, you may want to check out this decently priced mobile-only option. $50 isn't too bad for a season's worth of live baseball action.
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| Android apps demoed on the Blackberry Playbook (Video) Posted: 03 May 2011 10:53 AM PDT At the BlackBerry World conference this morning, RIM’s CEO Mike Lazaridis gave attendees a little sneak peek of Android apps running on the Blackberry Playbook. This is possible thanks to RIM’s Android App Player, which acts like a virtual environment for regular Android apps to run inside of. While the Android apps shown seem to be running smoothly, certain parts function differently compared to Android. Due to the Playbook’s lack of Menu button — like the one on Android — users need to swipe up to make the Menu pop up. Likewise, the Android Back button is simulated with an on-screen Back button on the top-left of the app. Aside from those two differences, I’m having a hard time noticing any dissimilarities between apps running on the Playbook and those running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab — and I’m sure Google doesn’t like that one bit. Even less now that RIM is pulling a Nokia and partnering with Microsoft. From now on, all Blackberry devices will ship with Bing deeply integrated in the OS. Meaning RIM is using Google’s platform to boost its own, while at the same time stabbing Google in the back by using Bing. That’s not making anybody happy at Mountain View this morning.
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| Official Google I/O 2011 Android app now available Posted: 03 May 2011 10:14 AM PDT We’re only one week away from the biggest Android-related event of the year, which means it’s time to download the official Google I/O Android app. Google just released this year’s app, and it’s better than ever. The app has gone through a redesign to support Honeycomb devices, with a new layout that takes advantage of tablet-sized screens. The new app also carries the same features we saw in last year’s version, like:
Even if you won’t be attending the conference, the Google I/O app is great for keeping up with what’ll be happening at the event — and trust us, there’ll be a lot happening. Now we just need May 10 to get here already. Gallery    
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| Super thin Samsung Galaxy S II actually has Gorilla glass Posted: 03 May 2011 09:14 AM PDT The Samsung Galaxy S II is one of the most anticipated devices of the year since being unveiled at Mobile World Congress. Though most of the credit for its popularity has to be given to its specs, one of the main attractions of the Galaxy S II is found in the design. The Galaxy S II is a beautiful gadget, and it is only 1/3 of an inch thick (remember the commercial of the guy slipping the phone under the door?). Though such thinness is very attractive feature in this device, it also raises concerns, one of the main being that it might be dangerously frail. If you are worried about the possibility of destroying the Galaxy S II upon its first drop, you may now put your mind at ease knowing that the Samsung Galaxy S II features a Gorilla glass display. If you don’t know about Gorilla glass (also featured in the Dell Streak), it is a type of screen that is practically indestructible. The Galaxy S II’s Gorilla glass provider is Corning, inc., and you can be sure that they will be keeping you from cracking that screen. Corning has put together a couple of videos, proving the strength of their product, so check them out after the break. Stay tuned for more news about the Samsung Galaxy S II (We would really like an official release date, Samsung!), and as always, please share your comments and opinions with us. Were you guys even that worried about the the device’s apparent fragility? Does the addition of Gorilla glass make you more inclined to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S II? Sound off in the comments below. Show Press Release Samsung's Premium Smartphone GALAXY S II Features Corning® Gorilla® Glass
Leading Cover Glass Applied to Advanced Mobile Visual Display The Samsung GALAXY S II, launched at February's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, is a dual-core-smartphone powered by the Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) platform, and packed with rich multimedia and data communication features. Thin, lightweight Corning Gorilla Glass, used as a damage-resistant cover, helps enable the sleek-yet-durable mobile design of Samsung GALAXY S II. Continuing a tradition of 160 years of innovation in materials science and technology, Corning Gorilla Glass is an environmentally friendly glass designed specifically to function as a cover glass for high-end display devices such as smartphones, tablets, notebook PCs, and televisions. Hankil Yoon, Vice President of Smartphone Product Planning, Samsung Electronics, said "GALAXY S II features the next-generation Super-AMOLED-Plus in strikingly slim and modern design, taking Samsung's leadership in mobile screen technology to a whole new level. Corning Gorilla Glass has enabled super-slim mobility on the high-quality touch display on GALAXY S II." "Corning Gorilla Glass has now become the leading strengthened glass standard for the continuously evolving mobile device market," added James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Specialty Materials. "Following last year's cooperation on the GALAXY S and GALAXY Tab, we are excited to provide Corning's unparalleled glass expertise for GALAXY S II." Gorilla Glass is a thin-and light-weight material which supports the seamless full-glass fronts of the most sophisticated device designs. Because it is strengthened at the molecular level, its ability to resist damage creates a performance advantage over other cover materials. About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements About Corning Incorporated
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