Android and Me |
- Google Music to be announced tomorrow, without record labels’ approval (UPDATED)
- comScore: Android still number one, RIM will soon be number three
- Google I/O T-shirt puzzle: Androidify yourself with the official Google I/O t-shirt
- New Google Goggles app turns your phone into the perfect business card scanner
- [RUMOR] I/O Attendees to receive a tablet, Nexus S?
- Earth-loving Samsung Replenish is now available from Sprint
- Google confirms that this year’s Google I/O will be all about Android
- HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa get priced, launching June 26th in the UK
- Pictured: HTC’s upcoming Honeycomb tablet, headed to AT&T
- Sony Ericsson posts a tutorial on building and flashing custom kernels
| Google Music to be announced tomorrow, without record labels’ approval (UPDATED) Posted: 09 May 2011 07:01 PM PDT According to the Wall Street Journal, Google will finally announce Google Music at the company’s developer conference tomorrow. Even though, the company hasn’t been able to strike deals with record companies, they have decided to go ahead and launch the product nonetheless. Initially, the service will be available for beta testers and not the general public. It will supposedly work like a remote hard drive, where people can store their songs. Users will then be able to listen to the songs, but not download them. This is due to the fact that they haven’t signed any deals with record labels yet, and they could very well take Google to court for allowing people to download songs. This kind of service is known as a “passive” locker, and doesn’t require licenses from record companies. Google could very well add more features in the future, once it strikes deals with copyright holders. We’ll take what we can, better this than nothing. Now Google, let’s just get this over with and announce this thing already. UPDATE: Things are happening fast, people. Peter Kafta of AllThingsD has shed a little more light on how Google Music will work. The service will apparently automatically create playlist based on your interests. Google will also allow users to upload up to 20,000 songs — which is roughly 50GB worth of songs. Google expects the service to launch for the general public in the weeks following the beta release — that’s very good news. Jamie Rosenberg, who’s in charge of digital content and strategy for Google's Android platform, explained why the company has decided to go ahead and launch Google Music without record labels’ consent:
Bravo, Google, bravo.
|
| comScore: Android still number one, RIM will soon be number three Posted: 09 May 2011 05:59 PM PDT It’s that time of the month again, folks. comScore’s mobile report for the month of March has been released, and yes Android’s still growing and taking RIM’s lunch money. Android widened its gap with RIM throughout March, despite fierce competition from the Verizon iPhone, Windows Phone 7 and Blackberry. While Android is doing pretty well, the same can’t be said about its competitors. Android now owns 34.7% of the smartphone market, a growth of 1.7% from the month before. Like we said last month, our favorite mobile OS is well en route to commanding over 40% of the market in the coming months and 50% around New Year. Expect a lot of chest-thumping and hurrahs coming from the Android camp at Google I/O. This kind of statistics will surely become ammo for Google to use at its developer conference tomorrow. Coming in on second place, RIM kept bleeding market share during the month of March as it has been doing for many months now. Blackberry’s share went from 28.9% to 27.1%, dropping 1.8% — almost the same percentage that Android grew. This is probably the last month that RIM will remain in second place. As seen on the graph above, Apple’s iOS could very well overtake Blackberry next month. Speaking of Apple’s iOS, the platform seems to be stuck in the 25% zone. iOS’ market share hasn’t changed for over a year now, even with the release of the Verizon iPhone and the release of the iPhone 4. We have to wonder if that’s as high as it’ll ever be. Dead last, Windows Phone 7 and WebOS keep fighting it out in the single digits range of the market. HP managed to keep WebOS’ share steady during the month of March at 2.8%. Unlike Microsoft, which still hasn’t been able to turn around the sinking ship that is Windows Phone. The OS lost 0.2% of the market, going from 7.7% down to 7.5%. I hope Microsoft’s in it for the long haul, ’cause things are not looking good today or in the near future for Windows Phone. With Android now far ahead everybody else, we should start wondering how big we want the platform to get. Do we want an Android monopoly? or a more balanced 50% market share? Let us know in the comments, but as always, keep it civil.
|
| Google I/O T-shirt puzzle: Androidify yourself with the official Google I/O t-shirt Posted: 09 May 2011 03:44 PM PDT Are you excited to see what Google I/O has in store for us? Or better yet, are you excited to be at Google I/O? If you have gotten a hold of one of Google’s official event t-shirts, you would know that there is a puzzle on the back of the shirt, hiding a nifty treat that will make you a bit more excited about this year’s Google I/O. The answer to this puzzle is actually hidden in Morse code, and we have found that it directs you to the following link: http://www.a4c639.com/. The exact translation is actually HTTP://GOO.GL/A4C639, but such link does not work, and it will probably not be live until tomorrow (it will simply direct you to the first site). If you are wondering what is going on with the interesting looking url, #A4C639 is actually the HEX value for the "Android green" color (isn’t that a neat domain? Thanks, Clark) This hidden URL sends you to a website that features the Androidify app. As a special occasion, you can now make your Androidify avatar wear an official Google I/O t-shirt, which would be cool for all those that like to represent their Google and/or Android pride. Though the Androidify app still does not have this shirt available, it should be updated soon, or at least by the time the HTTP://GOO.GL/A4C639 URL goes live. Until the t-shirt is available, stay tuned for more updates on this. Will you guys be making an avatar with this clothing accessory? Once the update goes through, it would be great if you guys could share a link to your Androidified image on the comment section. Let Google I/O begin!
|
| New Google Goggles app turns your phone into the perfect business card scanner Posted: 09 May 2011 03:34 PM PDT Poised to be demoed at Google I/O, the Google Goggles Android app got quite a sizable update today. Since its inception, Goggles has helped us read QR codes, find better deals than your local store’s, and figure out the name of that place you should really know the name of. Today, this wonderful little app got even better than before. Bringing a handful of new features:
If you haven’t already done so, head over to the Market and download this must-have app. Also, keep an eye out for a demo of this app at Google I/O tomorrow or Wednesday. Gallery       
|
| [RUMOR] I/O Attendees to receive a tablet, Nexus S? Posted: 09 May 2011 01:48 PM PDT Twitter is abuzz with speculation regarding exactly which device(s) will be given to the lucky Google I/O attendees. One twitterer claims to have it on good authority from a Googler that our beloved Google will be giving away not one, but two devices to those at the Moscone Center. One of the devices will be a tablet, though no specifics on which tablet was announced. If I were a betting man, I’d put money on the newly released ASUS EeePad Transformer, though Motorola’s Xoom tablet is also a strong possibility. The other device will be a Nexus S phone, though no word on whether this will be the T-Mobile-friendly Nexus S or the newly-released Nexus S 4G on the Sprint network. Now, we must stress that this is strictly a rumor, and we won’t know for sure what will be given away until tomorrow. That being said, we love speculation, so what do you think Google will be giving away after tomorrow morning’s keynote?
|
| Earth-loving Samsung Replenish is now available from Sprint Posted: 09 May 2011 10:45 AM PDT All of our earth-loving readers probably remember the announcement of Sprint’s Samsung Replenish, Sprint’s first eco-friendly Android smartphone. As a reminder, the release date was announced to be on May 8th, and the device is now available for purchase from Sprint. Built with 82% recyclable material, and at a price of $49.99 on a 2-year contract, this hippie Android device is not only good on the environment, but also on your wallet. Samsung Replenish Specifications:
As you may recall, the specs on this device are not impressive at all, but it does have its benefits. Aside from the low price, this device is actually good for an outdoor lifestyle. There is an optional backdoor with a solar panel, which would allow you to charge the battery (which we can call small or "energy efficient") whether you are next to your window or climbing the Grand Canyon. Sprint is also offering the Green ID Pack, with a series of tools that would aid you in living a "greener" life. Sprint is waving the $10 premium data charge if you purchase their first eco-friendly Android phone. This means that getting this device would save you $240 dollars through the duration of your 2-year contract. You can also probably save some bucks from being able to use the solar charging feature, not to mention that the initial price of the device is already low. This is no super phone, but it could offer some benefits for those users that do not require too much power. Personally, if I was using my smartphone only for e-mail, social networking, document editing, and such small tasks, I wouldn’t mind having a cheaper alternative like this. Plus, solar panels and fee waivers are a great additional incentive. What do you guys say, are you signing up for this tree-hugging phone?
|
| Google confirms that this year’s Google I/O will be all about Android Posted: 09 May 2011 10:39 AM PDT Just in case you had any doubt that this year’s Google I/O is going to be all about Android all the time, Google just went ahead and cleared that up for you. The company just kicked off the final countdown to the popular event, and they made sure we know Android will be the star of the show by saying:
Key phrase here being “preview upcoming updates”. Is it me or does something smell like Ice Cream Sandwich around here? Google also took the time to brag about how this year’s conference is the biggest one ever. With more than “5,000 participants from 60 countries, including 110 sessions, 261 speakers and 152 Sandbox partners”. If you’re not one of those 5,000 lucky people, you’ll be able to keep up with the event at I/O Live from the comfort of your home. Interestingly enough, only one person (Sundar Pichai, right) on that picture above has nothing to do with Android. With the other two being, Andy Rubin, SVP of Mobile and Vic Gundotra, SVP of Social, aka the guy that ripped Apple a new one at last year’s I/O. Looking at that photo you might think these guys are just very happy to see you. But don’t let those sympathetic smiles fool you, behind those friendly faces are three guys who will use every chance they get to throw a punch at competitors over the next couple of days — and we’ll love it every time they do.
|
| HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa get priced, launching June 26th in the UK Posted: 09 May 2011 10:28 AM PDT When HTC unveiled the HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa at Mobile World Congress this past February, they also announced an exclusive distribution agreement with AT&T for the U.S. market. While that may be nice for AT&T, it looks like our friends over in Europe will be able to get their hands on the two Facebook-centric Android phones before we do. Amazon has just launched pre-order pages for the HTC ChaCha and the HTC Salsa, with a launch date of June 26th for both phones. The price of the HTC ChaCha is set at £250 ($409) though the HTC Salsa will go for £320 ($524). Both handsets pretty menial specs with 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processors and 512MB of RAM, low resolution screens, and cameras. But HTC was kind enough to include front-facing cameras on both phones so that users would have no problem taking self portraits for their Facebook profiles while on the go. Most of you probably wouldn't even give the HTC ChaCha and Salsa a second glance due to their small form factors, low-end specs, and modified HTC Sense UI with deep Facebook integration, but that doesn't mean the two phones will not sell well. HTC will likely target their Facebook phones at younger crowds who currently don't own or have not used smartphones. The deep Facebook integration should be enough for many teens to trash their old QWERTY messaging phones and get them accustomed to HTC Sense and hopefully sticking with HTC when they choose to purchase a real smartphone somewhere down the line.
|
| Pictured: HTC’s upcoming Honeycomb tablet, headed to AT&T Posted: 09 May 2011 09:45 AM PDT Not to be left behind by the likes of Motorola and LG, HTC is jumping on the Honeycomb bandwagon with the likely-named HTC Puccini. The 10-inch tablet will support AT&T’s 4G LTE network, will run Android 3.0 Honeycomb, and it could launch between now and December — depending on how optimistic you are. That’s about all we know at this point, folks. I’m almost certain Puccini won’t be the launch name for this tablet, (at least not in the US, where we might mistake it for the latest pasta recipe), but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate about what this tablet will be all about. According to trusty Wikipedia, Giacomo Puccini was a famous Italian opera composer. Will the HTC Puccini have a musical twist to it? Only the good people at HTC know. Tomorrow is the biggest Android-related event of the year, thus it’s hard to not link any Android news to it. Could the HTC Puccini be a Nexus tablet? More importantly, is this what Google will give out to developers? Just food for thought.
|
| Sony Ericsson posts a tutorial on building and flashing custom kernels Posted: 09 May 2011 09:35 AM PDT Earlier this year, Sony Ericsson promised that it would bring substantial improvements to its performance within the Android platform. Sony Ericsson has been making devices with good potential, but sadly, the company has been lagging when it comes to software updates (which is what seems to bother most Sony Ericsson Android users). Sony Ericsson is throwing us some curve balls lately, proving that their commitment to the Android platform is legit. Not only are their phones better and even coming straight with Gingerbread, but Sony Ericsson also seems to be opening the doors to the developer world, which is sadly starting to become much less of a trend lately. Last month, Sony Ericsson gave us official support for unlocking their devices’ bootloaders. Today looks like an even brighter day, as they have posted a tutorial that shows us how to build a custom kernel and flash it to an Xperia device. Bad news is that Xperia X10 users will be left out, since this guide is actually specific to the new Xperia devices: the Xperia Play, Xperia Arc, and Xperia Neo. Now that Sony Ericsson has put down its weapons and decided to cooperate with the developer world, the company decided to even bring some official support at the XDA-Developers site… Impressive. It looks like the future of Sony Ericsson will begin to look brighter. As manufacturers continue to lock their devices, the Xperia brand will start gaining a better reputation within the Android world.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Android and Me To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment