Android and Me

How to easily install the Netflix app on your Android phone (Root required)
Get Sprint’s Nexus S 4G for just $99 from Wirefly (Deal)
OpenFeint brings its free-to-play platform to Android, developers and gamers rejoice
Google releases “News Near You,” updating you on location-based topics
NVIDIA CEO hints at Tegra 3-powered Nexus 3
Droid invasion: Droid Charge coming tomorrow, Droid X2 on May 26
NOOK for Android gets a tablet-friendly update
AT&T’s failure to acquire T-Mobile would cost the company $6 billion
Rumor: Amazon has an “entire family” of Android devices coming this holiday
Scared of the acquisition? Head over to Sprint’s refugee camp with a waived ETF

How to easily install the Netflix app on your Android phone (Root required)

Posted: 13 May 2011 03:46 PM PDT

After many months (and years) of waiting, Netflix finally released an official Android app yesterday. After hearing the news, many Android users were full of happiness and hope, until 5 seconds later they found out that their device wasn’t supported. But fear not comrades, the awesome Android community has saved us once again.

Before telling you how to get your stream on with the Netflix app, we need to get a few things out of the way. First of all, I’m not responsible for anything that happens to your phone, proceed at your own risk. Secondly, root is required for installing the Netflix app correctly. If you don’t know what rooting is, fear not, you probably just got lost inside the interwebs and somehow ended up at Android and Me. Click here or here to return safely to your homepage — or you can click here to learn what root is. Let’s get on with it then.

Before beginning make sure you can install apps from unknown sources by going to Menu > Settings > Applications and clicking the “Unknown sources” button
Then get the Netflix app from here
After downloading the app, tap on the .apk file to install Netflix
Then get ES File Manager from the Market
Open ES File Manager and go to Menu > Settings > Root Options and enable both check boxes
With ES File Manager, make a copy of the build.prop file that’s in the /system folder, just in case
Open the build.prop file and change these two lines:
ro.product.model='your phone's name' to ro.product.model=Nexus S
ro.product.manufacturer='whatever' to ro.product.manufacturer=samsung
Reboot and you’re done.

Like with all these kind of hacks, sometimes things don’t work like they should. If you come across an issue, let us know in the comments and either us or somebody could have a fix for you. If this did work for you, we’d love to know about it as well.

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Get Sprint’s Nexus S 4G for just $99 from Wirefly (Deal)

Posted: 13 May 2011 02:01 PM PDT

Even though we’re already day-dreaming about Ice Cream Sandwich and the Nexus 3, they won’t be announced anytime soon. But the next best thing is available right now, the Nexus S 4G from Sprint.

Wirefly is currently offering this “Google Phone” for the low price of $99 with a 2-year contract. If you want to buy the only Android phone with NFC, Gingerbread, and 4G speeds, head on over to Wirefly and buy yourself one — you won’t regret it. If you need more convincing, here’s the rest of the features you get with the Nexus S 4G:

5MP back-facing camera with LED flash, VGA front-facing camera
4-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 480 x 800 resolution
1Ghz Hummingbird CPU
512 RAM and 16GB of ROM
1500 mAh
Gyroscope

While the Nexus S 4G might not have the most impressive hardware by today’s standards, it’s still the official Google phone. Which means it’ll always have the latest Android version before everybody else. If you can look past the lack of dual-core CPU, and focus instead on the advantages of having the most up-to-date Android phone, the Nexus S 4G is the phone you’re looking for. Me personally, I’ll be here fantasizing about all the fun me and my Nexus 3 will have together this Christmas.

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OpenFeint brings its free-to-play platform to Android, developers and gamers rejoice

Posted: 13 May 2011 12:18 PM PDT

The Android Market is growing at an astonishing pace. With 4.5 billion apps already installed and bound to becoming the biggest app store in the world in the coming months, the Market is turning into priority number one for mobile developers. As a result of this, we’re already seeing many iOS apps make the jump over to Android.

One type of app that’s starting to make the jump from iOS to Android is social games. These games usually have a free-to-play model, where the developer makes money from in-app payments or a virtual store. Social games have become quite popular on iOS thanks partially to how easy it is for developers to integrate a virtual store into their apps. Which is not as easy to do on Android right now, but that’s about to change.

To help Android developers build virtual stores inside their apps, OpenFeint announced today that it is bringing its popular OFX service to Android. OFX will initially launch in private beta, with registration open for a limited number of developers. If you’re interested, head to the OpenFeint developers page and sign up as soon as possible.

Gaming is still one of those areas where Android lags behind iOS, and there’s a good reason for that. Even though Android is outpacing iOS in market share, developers are still making more money on iOS than on Android. For developers to build awesome and high-quality games for Android like the ones we see on iOS, they need to be confident that the game will make them money.

With great tools that help developers monetize their apps — like OpenFeint’s OFX — now coming to Android, we’re about to see the Android Market explode with fun and first-class games.

Show Press Release

OpenFeint Expands Free-to-Play Platform to Google's Android
Game developers can now monetize their users by selling virtual currency and virtual goods

May 13, 2011 – Burlingame, Calif. – While Facebook-style developers rapidly move their games to mobile, traditional mobile game developers are adopting the same free-to-play model – giving games away and making money from in-game purchases. Google's IAP system lets developers process in-game transactions, but most lack the virtual economy management system necessary to build profitable games.

With the private beta launch of OFX for Android, game developers can now easily build and manage profitable virtual economies without having to build and operate the servers themselves. OFX helps developers run complete virtual stores – stocking and selling virtual currency and goods, analyzing real time performance, and modifying inventory on the fly.

"IAP systems are like credit card machines – necessary to process transactions but somewhat useless without a store around it. OFX makes it easy for any game developer to build that store and have confidence in its ability to scale as they snag millions of DAUs," said Jason Citron, founder and CEO of OpenFeint.

For games selected to participate in the private beta, OFX will use Google's IAP to process payments. Future updates will include support for alternative payment providers, like direct-to-carrier billers.

"We'd rather focus on building great games than an incredibly complex scalable server infrastructure. Using OFX for iOS has been incredibly easy, so we're excited to implement it in our upcoming Android games," says Shainiel Deo, CEO of Halfbrick Studios.

OpenFeint is strongly invested in developing gaming on Android. Just last week it announced the launch of a new distribution channel for Android games in China, called "The9 Game Zone." Earlier this year, it announced a strategic partnership with The9 to bring quality games to Android through the $100 million Fund9.

The OFX private beta is open for a limited time and will close as soon as all slots are filled. Developers interested in learning more about OpenFeint and participating in the OFX Private Beta should visit OpenFeint.com/developers/ofx.

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Google releases “News Near You,” updating you on location-based topics

Posted: 13 May 2011 12:07 PM PDT

Google’s location services have been mentioned a lot since last month, mostly due to the hype about the iPhone’s unencrypted location access. The fact is that the device being conscious of its location does bring us many of the benefits we have grown to love so much. Services that take advantage of this feature include Twitter, Geo-tagging, Google Latitude, Foursquare, and the list goes on and on. But let’s not forget the most simple, and commonly used tasks that take advantage of this – browsing. It is commonly known that Google always tries to identify your location, in order to better match the results of your searches, and today, they have taken it a step further and released News Near You on Google News for both Android and iOS.

This new feature is very simple. Upon visiting Google News on your mobile browser, you will find a new section at the bottom of the homepage, called "News Near You." As you probably know, Google does ask you for permission before using your location for its services. If it is the first time going into Google News, it will ask you if you are willing to give them such permission, or prefer to opt-out of Google’s location services.

If you choose to allow this service to know your whereabouts, the "News Near You" section will give you relevant news to your surroundings. This is possible due to a system in which Google skims through all of the writing in every article, finding words that would identify the article to be relevant to any given place (Isn’t that interesting?).

I personally love the idea. Though I like to stay informed about general matters, I find myself to be more of a community-person. But you may differ in opinion; what do you say? Will you be using this new service? Do you think it is shady? Maybe you don’t like Google knowing where you are… Let us know!

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Google Maps updated to version 5.1, bringing Latitude check-ins

NVIDIA CEO hints at Tegra 3-powered Nexus 3

Posted: 13 May 2011 11:22 AM PDT

We already know the Nexus 3 is coming out towards the end of the year, probably around the time Google releases Ice Cream Sandwich. However, we still have no idea what CPU will power the device. We’ve been trying to figure out which chip will get the honors, and so far NVIDIA’s Quad-core Tegra 3 seems to be the most likely candidate.

Well, we just got one more reason to believe that Tegra 3 will be the chosen platform for the Nexus 3. At NVIDIA’s earnings call yesterday, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang hinted at a possible partnership with Google for the release of Ice Cream Sandwich, saying:

... we're working very closely with Google on Ice Cream Sandwich, and it's a very important new generation of operating system based on starting from the Honeycomb base and I'm expecting it to be really terrific. And so we're working very closely with the Google team, and Tegra will be surely be wonderful for Ice Cream when it comes.Jen-Hsun HuangCEO of NVIDIA

In another instance, Jen-Hsun Huang implied that we could see devices powered by Tegra 3 and Ice Cream Sandwich released later this year:

We're really excited about the work that they're doing on Ice Cream. And I can't comment too much more other than that, but we're working very closely with their teams on the Ice Cream Sandwich. And as all of these products -- they will come to the market when they're great, and I'm certainly expecting them to be great on this year.Jen-Hsun HuangCEO of NVIDIA

The pieces are starting to fall together, folks, and we couldn’t be more excited about what the outcome might be. In case you’re wondering why we’re making such a big fuss about Tegra 3, allow me to briefly remind you the reasons why that is:

World’s first mobile quad-core CPU
New 12-Core NVIDIA GPU with support for 3D stereo
Support for Extreme HD at a 2560 x 1600 resolution
5x faster than the Tegra 2

As an Android enthusiast, if that’s not enough to get you heart going I don’t know what could. What do you guys think? Do you want the Nexus 3 to be powered by Tegra 3? Or would you rather have Qualcomm or TI get the honors? Let us know in the comments.

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Droid invasion: Droid Charge coming tomorrow, Droid X2 on May 26

Posted: 13 May 2011 09:49 AM PDT

After two weeks of delay, the Droid Charge is back on track to destroying the world with its electrifying 4G powers. According to Droid-Life, the Droid Charge will go on sale tomorrow for $299. For just three Benjamins you’ll be able to enjoy the following features:

Android 2.2 Froyo
4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen with a 480 x 800 resolution
1 GHz Hummindgbird CPU
8MP back-facing camera with LED flash and 720p video-recording
1.3MP front-facing camera
4G LTE-capable
1600 mAh battery

If you’re more of a superphone kind of guy, you might want to wait two more weeks for the Droid X2. According to the screenshot below, the Droid X2 will arrive May 26, packing some serious hardware. The Droid X’s big brother will bring all these goodies:

Android 2.2 Froyo or 2.3 Gingerbread
4.3-inch qHD screen with a 960×540 resolution
1Ghz Dual-core Tegra 2 CPU
8MP back-facing camera with dual-LED flash and 720p video-recording
512MB of RAM and 8GB of ROM
microSD slot with 8GB SD card pre-installed
1540mAh battery
1080p HDMI video-out

That’s an impressive spec sheet right there. With these two phones coming out so close together, which one would you guys go with? Or maybe you’re holding out for that Nexus 3 with Ice Cream Sandwich and Tegra 3 that’s coming out later this year?

Gallery

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NOOK for Android gets a tablet-friendly update

Posted: 13 May 2011 09:24 AM PDT

The official Barnes and Noble NOOK application has received an update today, with full support for 7+ inch tablets. NOOK for Android now features an optimized library grid view as well as enhancements to margins and spacings to provide a more-enjoyable reading experience for large, higher-resolution devices.

In addition to full-color magazine articles, the updated application for tablets also features ArticleView, which features text-only versions of stories when you don’t want to get distracted by the different pictures and the like. ArticleView allows you to select different ways to view text articles for a customized reading experience.

With this release, Barnes and Noble has expanded the availability of their application to more than just the Android market. You can now download NOOK for Android from the following outlets:

Android Market (duh)
VCast App Store
Samsung Apps
GetJar
AppsLib

So if you love to read, head on over to any of these app venues and download the new tablet-friendly NOOK for Android application. The free application is available on all Android 2.1+ devices.

Hit the source link below (or check out the press release) for more info.

Gallery

Nook for Android by B&N Barnes and Noble MARKET QR

Show Press Release

Barnes & Noble Updates NOOK™ for Android™ App, Gives Tablet Users Access to Largest Digital Periodical Offering on Android

More than 140 NOOK Newsstand™ Titles Including Interactive Magazines

with Exclusive ArticleView™ Now Available to Android Tablet Customers

Optimized Reading Experience for Most 7-Inch and Larger Tablets

Including Honeycomb

Free App Now Available in Android Market, V CAST Apps,

Samsung Apps, GetJar, and AppsLib

New York, New York – May 12, 2011 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today announced an updated version of its popular, free NOOK for Android eReading application that brings the most comprehensive selection of digital periodicals to customers with Android™ tablets including more than 140 top magazine and newspaper brands from ESPN The Magazine and The Economistto Food & Wine and Us Weekly. To take advantage of large and extra large, high-resolution Android tablet screens, NOOK for Android now offers customers an optimized library grid view and reading experience with enhanced book margins and line spacing, as well as an improved shopping experience and more. The new app features are available for popular 7-inch and larger tablets using Android OS 2.1 and higher (Honeycomb).

Today's announcement marks the largest digital newsstand offering for Android tablet customers to date, with more than 140 of the best daily, weekly and monthly periodicals, all optimized for high-resolution displays in rich color. Barnes & Noble's interactive NOOK Magazine™ experience, previously available only to NOOK Color™ Reader's Tablet™ customers, is now available to the Android tablet community, featuring more than 120 popular titles such as Esquire, Maxim, Men's Health, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Popular Science, PC Magazine, Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine, Travel + Leisure and many more. NOOK for Android customers with large tablets can also enjoy favorite NOOK Newspapers™ including USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune. All can be enjoyed with a 14-day free trial, via subscription or purchased in single issue form.

With NOOK for Android on larger tablets, magazine reading is easy and engaging with full-color pages in landscape and portrait mode, and Barnes & Noble's exclusive ArticleView technology (formerly available only on NOOK Color) which features only the article's text, customized to the reader's favorite style, on a central panel on the display. NOOK Magazines also feature a universal, easy-to-use reading experience with a slider to jump to the desired page, pinch and zoom to enlarge images and more.

"With our free, updated NOOK for Android application, we're delivering customers with Android tablets a great optimized reading experience and access to the largest ever collection of interactive magazines, as well as top newspapers, all optimized for high-resolution displays," said Jamie Iannone, President of Digital Products at Barnes & Noble. "Using their Android tablets, customers can enjoy our collection of more than two million digital books, as well as their morning paper and latest magazines, delivered right to their device through their NOOK for Android app, for an amazing periodical experience which includes our innovative ArticleView feature."

NOOK Newsstand and the optimized book reading experience on NOOK for Android will be available for customers using 7-inch and larger Android OS 2.1 and higher (Honeycomb) tablets with 800 x 480 (160 DPI or less) or higher screen resolution, and include Samsung Galaxy Tab™, Motorola XOOM™, LG G-Slate™ and ARCHOS internet tablets, among others. NOOK for Android customers on smartphones will also enjoy minor performance enhancements.

NOOK for Android gives customers with Android smartphones and tablets access to Barnes & Noble's expansive NOOK Bookstore™, one of the world's largest digital content catalogs, with the most NOOK Books™ priced at $9.99 or less. As part of Barnes & Noble's promise to "Read What You Love, Anywhere You Like™," customers can enjoy NOOK Books from their Barnes & Noble digital library on their NOOK Color, NOOK eReader devices and mobile and computing devices using free NOOK eReading software or apps.

Expanded App Availability

To make it easy for Android smartphone and tablet customers to find and download the free NOOK for Android app, Barnes & Noble has expanded availability for the free app to include Android Market, V CAST Apps from Verizon Wireless, Samsung Apps, GetJar, and AppsLib, with more to come. NOOK for Android will also be pre-loaded or made available in future firmware upgrades for some of the current leading and highly anticipated Android tablets coming to market. Customers can learn more about NOOK for Android v2.6.1 at www.bn.com/nookforandroid.

About NOOK^™ from Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble’s NOOK brand of eReading products makes it easy to read what you love, anywhere you like with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to Barnes & Noble’s expansive NOOK Bookstore^™ of more than two million digital titles, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices. NOOK products are the most full-featured, dedicated eReading devices on the market. The award-winning NOOK Color Reader's Tablet, the best-value on the tablet market ($249), features a stunning 7-inch VividView^™Color Touchscreen to read all of the content you love, shop popular apps, connect via email, browse the Web and more. For book lovers, NOOK 3G ($199) and NOOK Wi-Fi^® ($149) offer a paper-like reading experience with a color touch screen for navigation. In Barnes & Noble stores, NOOK owners can access free Wi-Fi connectivity, enjoy the Read In Store^™ feature to read NOOK Books™ for free, and the More In Store^™ program, which offers free, exclusive content and special promotions. Barnes & Noble was the first company to offer digital lending for a wide selection of books through its LendMe^™ technology, available through NOOK eReading products. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.BN.com, as well as at Best Buy, Walmart, Staples and Books-A-Million.

In addition to NOOK devices, Barnes & Noble makes it easy for customers to enjoy any book, anytime, anywhere with its free line of NOOK software, available at www.bn.com/nookapps. Customers can use Barnes & Noble’s free eReading software to access and read books from their personal Barnes & Noble digital library on devices including iPad^™, iPhone^®, iPod touch^®, Android^™, BlackBerry^® and other smartphones, PC and Mac^®. Lifetime Library™ helps ensure that Barnes & Noble customers will always be able to access their digital libraries on NOOK products and software-enabled devices and BN.com. Barnes & Noble also offers NOOK Study^™ (www.nookstudy.com), an innovative study platform and software solution for higher education, NOOK Kids™ (www.nookkids.com), a collection of digital picture and chapter books for children, and NOOK Books en español^™ (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooksenespanol), the first-ever Spanish language digital bookstore in the United States.

For more information on NOOK devices and eReading software, updates, new NOOK Book releases, Free Friday™ NOOK Books and more, follow us on www.twitter.com/ebooksbn and www.facebook.com/nookbn.

ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE, INC.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 705 bookstores in 50 states. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, also operates 636 college bookstores serving nearly 4 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, which also features more than two million titles in its NOOK Bookstore^™ (www.bn.com/ebooks). Through Barnes & Noble's NOOK^™ eReading product offering, customers can buy and read eBooks on the widest range of platforms, including NOOK eBook Readers, devices from partner companies, and hundreds of the most popular mobile and computing devices using free NOOK software.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website:www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

NOOK^™, NOOK Color^™, Reader's Tablet^™, NOOK Books^™, NOOK Bookstore^™, NOOK Newsstand^™, LendMe^™, ArticleView^™, Read In Store^™, More In Store™, Free Friday^™, Lifetime Library^™ and Read What You Love. Anywhere You Like^™ are trademarks of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Other trademarks referenced in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter (www.bn.com/twitter), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/bnstudio).

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AT&T’s failure to acquire T-Mobile would cost the company $6 billion

Posted: 13 May 2011 08:38 AM PDT

If you think 20 bucks is a lot of money to lose during one of those poker nights with your buddies, how would you feel about $6 billion? That’s how much AT&T could lose if it fails to acquire T-Mobile.

This is because AT&T agreed to pay T-Mobile $3 billion in cash if the deal fell through, plus $2 billion worth of wireless spectrum and a roaming agreement priced at around $1 billion. To put things in perspective, AT&T is buying T-Mobile for $39 billion, meaning the company is risking 15.4% of that just to be able to buy Magenta. That would be like somebody risking $3000 just to have the opportunity to buy a $20,000 car. It’s crazy. Of course, we don’t have $6 billion under our couch, so what do we know.

If AT&T has decided to risk this much capital, they must feel extremely confident that they’ll be able to buy T-Mobile — which means they’ll most likely be able to. But this thing is not over until Washington says so, and you never know what’s going to happen when the government gets involved.

Those of you that are against this acquisition, do you want AT&T to fail even more now knowing how much money the company is risking? Or do you admire their confidence?

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Rumor: Amazon has an “entire family” of Android devices coming this holiday

Posted: 13 May 2011 06:00 AM PDT

Amazon’s Android tablet is both the best and worst kept secret in the mobile industry. Everyone knows that Amazon is working on an Android device, but few know any of the specific details about its hardware or software. I recently took a break from blogging, but I had to come out of retirement for this post because it’s the most interesting Android topic that still remains a mystery. Read on after the jump to see what details I have dug up.

The Rumor

Amazon has an “entire family” of Android devices that will launch this holiday shopping season.

The Source

This tip came from an industry insider with direct knowledge of the project. The information was shared with me in a recent face-to-face meeting and I believe the source to be trustworthy. It was also confirmed by a separate source who has provided reliable information in the past. As with most of my tipsters, they wish to remain anonymous.

One Android Insider's take on the rumor

I love writing these types of reports because there is always some truth behind the original rumor and additional details normally leak out after a post like this. People send a million rumors my way every week, so I only bust out the keyboard when I have information that I think deserves to be shared.

Rumors of Amazon expanding their hardware lineup beyond the Kindle e-reader go way back to last year. The New York Times first reported that Amazon’s research and development group, Lab126, had posted a flurry of job listings related to electronics hardware. That hiring spree has continued, as there are now around 180 job openings.

Then last September, MG Siegler of TechCrunch posted an interesting tip that Amazon was working on an iPad competitor. I agreed that it was obvious Amazon was working on an Android device when their app store was confirmed, but no new hardware details appeared for the next several months.

Things finally picked up again three weeks ago when Peter Rojas of gdgt said he was 99% sure that Samsung was building Amazon’s tablet. That rumor was quickly challenged when Digitimes said that several component makers reported Amazon has chosen Quanta Computers (the largest manufacturer of notebook computers in the world) to produce their Android tablet.

Now most recently, I was told with a smile that there is not one tablet, but an entire family of devices in the pipeline. This surprised me at first, but Amazon is placing a huge bet on Android so it makes sense for them to launch several types of devices and see what gets the best reception.

So what kind of devices are we talking about?

I couldn’t get any details out of my source about which specific devices will launch first, but I’m speculating there will be several sizes of tablets and at least one smartphone.

Most of the Android apps in Amazon’s app store are designed for the normal smartphone screen size, so it makes sense they would bring to market a device with a 4 inch display. Their Kindle e-reader currently ships in 6 and 9.7 inch versions and I believe that would be the target size for any tablets.

There hasn’t been much talk about it, but I also believe Amazon might explore a set top box running Google TV.

How much will these things cost?

Current prices of the Kindle are $114 for a 6 inch with WiFi (some sponsored ads), $189 for a 6 inch with 3G, and $379 for a 9.7 inch with 3G.

Barnes & Noble has proven with their Nook Color that the sweet spot for a color tablet is around $249. Amazon could definitely match that $249 price point with a 6 inch color tablet, depending on what hardware components they choose. I would hope to see a 9.7 inch color tablet at $399 and a 4 inch phone for under $199.

Amazon truly has the power to hit whatever price point they want. They could subsidize part of the cost with advertising like the recent Kindle offer or just decide to take a loss on the devices. History has shown that the component prices will come down when the production ramps up and Amazon can afford to take a loss in the short term when they know they can make their money back by selling apps, books, movies, music, and more.

Who will supply the mobile data?

Just like the Amazon Kindle, I suspect we will see some Android devices with only WiFi and others with 3G/4G connectivity. Amazon has a history of working with both AT&T and Verizon, so either of those carriers could be potential partners.

The mobile data model you are most likely to see is a limited amount of free 3G/4G data, with the option to purchase additional data each month. Verizon worked a similar deal with Google to allow 100 MB of free data each month on their CR-48 Chromebook, so hopefully Amazon can do something similar.

What kind of display can we expect?

Digitimes reported that Amazon would use a Fringe Field Switching LCD display and touch panel from E Ink Holdings, but Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently told Consumer Reports that color e-ink "is not ready for prime time…the colors are very pale.” He went on to say, "it makes a lot of sense for there to be a low-power, reflective color display. I think that's something you could build a fantastic product around.”

When I checked around with my inside sources, I was told that Amazon would be using a Pixel Qi display like we saw in the Notion Ink Adam. It is possible that Amazon is evaluating multiple display technologies and has not decided on a final winner yet.

My gut tells me that Qualcomm’s Mirasol displays could be at the top of the list. These reflective displays do not require a backlight and offer a significant reduction in power consumption. I did not think they would be ready in time for Amazon’s tablet launch, but Qualcomm has been demoing their new front-light technology and claims they will be ready in the fall.

Whatever display type they go with, I expect Amazon will choose something ultra low power to differentiate their devices from the competition. The LCD displays of smartphones and tablets are normally the biggest source of power drain and one of these newer displays could greatly enhance the battery life.

Who will supply the CPU?

I know I’m a processor nerd, but I don’t really think it matters which CPU Amazon chooses to go with at this point. It will likely be an ARM-based dual-core CPU, which means it could be supplied by anyone.

My head tells me that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon might be the best fit since they could offer Amazon a sweetheart deal and price out the competition. NVIDIA could also be in the running with their quad-core Kal-El processor, which is expected to be available around Q3.

However, going back to my gut feeling I think Texas Instruments could be the big winner here. There OMAP3 powered the Nook Color and their new dual-core 1.5 GHz OMAP4 will be ready in the second half of 2011.

What will the software experience be like?

My sources tell me that Amazon has outsourced their software services to an embedded systems company that has experience with Android devices. Some had speculated that Amazon might use Android 2.3 Gingerbread so they could heavily customize the user interface, but I was told that Amazon will certainly use the latest version of Android.

Google has chosen not to release the source code for Android 3.0 Honeycomb until sometime in Q4 when Ice Cream Sandwich becomes available. I was given the impression that Google is actually working with Amazon on these devices, so it is possible that Amazon could ship their products in Q4 with Ice Cream Sandwich.

Andy Rubin told the press doing a Google I/O Q&A session that Android was meant to be customized and Google would not lock down the UI, so expect a heavily modified user experience on Amazon’s devices.

But would you actually buy one?

I’ve been a long-time Amazon Prime member, so I would definitely be interested in any Android device that Amazon might release. My phone of choice will likely remain a Google-designed Nexus product, but when it comes to tablets I would hand my money over to Amazon if they provided the best overall experience.

We tossed this idea around amongst the other staffers and here is what some had to say:

Edgar Cervantes: “I would not be very inclined to buy an Amazon phone… It seems like Amazon’s plan would be to separate itself from Google [and] Google’s services are very important to me. On the other hand, I think an Amazon tablet would be a better idea. Amazon is pretty much my favorite e-Reader provider, so if said tablet was optimized for Kindle, I would be more likely to consider it.”
Keivan Askari: “I think it would be an interesting device, and if they did a pilot program like the Google CR-48, it would be a great way to test the waters as well as build hype about the phone. I’m confident they could offer free data up to 100mb like the CR-48.”
Sean Riley: “I doubt that I would consider any of the products from Amazon, but these are bound to be targeted at the general consumer rather than Android enthusiasts. As consumption devices Amazon can certainly put together an incredible competitor with the ecosystem they have strung together in the last few months. The pricing should be their biggest advantage and considering the projections that the Kindle may go completely free for Prime subscribers by this Fall I think a $150-200 7″ tablet isn’t out of the question with the 10″ model running more like $250-300. I find the phone harder to believe, although certainly possible, but I can certainly imagine their going with a 4″ iPod Touch competitor at $99.”

What would it take to convince you to buy an Amazon smartphone or tablet?

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Scared of the acquisition? Head over to Sprint’s refugee camp with a waived ETF

Posted: 13 May 2011 04:40 AM PDT

Sprint has been openly against AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile since the very beginning. If this proposed acquisition goes through, that would make AT&T and Verizon the leaders of mobile telephony in the US, placing Sprint on a lower, more vulnerable position. Now that the merge is going through its process, and the FCC has even asked for consumers’ opinions, Sprint seems to be making some interesting moves to stay alive if the said deal comes goes through.

Sprint has given us a nice incentive to head over to their protecting arms, offering ETF (Early Termination Fee) credits to those that switch over to the first 4G network in America. Though Sprint is now giving this ETF credit to anyone that moves from a rival company, this offer was meant mostly for T-Mobile business customers (it has been cleared that individuals can also take advantage of this), who might be afraid of their impending "AT&T doom".

Under the conditions of this offer, one would be able to switch to Sprint and receive an ETF credit, upon porting a number from an existing contract (just to make sure). According to CNN, such credit would be of $175 for business customers, $125 for individuals purchasing a smartphone, and $75 for individuals buying a feature phone.

Thought that was good news? Wait for this detail… If the AT&T/T-Mobile merge does not go through, and one decides that T-Mobile is still a sweet and comfortable spot, Sprint will waive their own ETF, allowing you to make a seamless return to T-Mobile (as long as you do it before 90 days after the announcement). If the deal does go through, though, you are pretty much with Sprint for the duration of the 2-year contract, or until you decide to pay the ETF and cancel. Of course you also get a guaranteed first 30 day window, in which you can choose to opt-out and cancel all attachments with Sprint.

What do you say? Good deal, right? This just shows you how much Sprint (along with many of us) is worried about a possible cellphone carrier duopoly, and it is an open invitation find a safe spot as a refugee in the middle of so much acquisition havoc.