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- Android Community Weekly : May 28, 2011
- ASUS Eee Pad TransformerNow Chugging Along at 1.6 GHz
- Google Working with HTC on Ice Cream Sandwich Nexus Phone?
- T-Mobile G2x Issues And Resolutions Internal Document Leaked
- ASUS Padfone, Android 3.1 for Transformer, and More at Computex 2011
- Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Review [Verizon]
- Android Community 101: Bootloaders
- AMD Roadmap Leaked “DESNA” Tablets Detailed
- ZiiLabs JAGUAR Android dual and quad-core Reference Platforms Unveiled
- Microsoft Receives $5 Per Phone HTC Sells
| Android Community Weekly : May 28, 2011 Posted: 28 May 2011 08:49 AM PDT Welcome back to Android Community Weekly! Early this past Monday, details of the HTC Holiday headed for AT&T emerged. Much like the EVO 3D, it is said to sport a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor as well as a qHD display (and just like the Samsung Infuse, it is said to span 4.5"). Also launched this week was AppTap Ads to aid in advertising applications for developers. It will give users an easy to use ad buying tool to track their targeted ads across the net.
Chris Burns worked his magic on a wonderful HTC Flyer (WiFi Only) review as the Motorola Droid X2 was put to the test by Cory Gunther. Unfortunately, the Droid X2 shipped without Gingerbread (but as found out later on, Motorola devices should expect a universal Gingerbread update soon). This past Friday, the Droid X Gingerbread update started rolling out (whether this is 2.3 or 2.3.4 is unknown). If you headed over to our sister site SlashGear last week, Chris Davies unboxed the HTC Sensation; this week he went into more depth with an actual review of the device. Later on that same day, Galaxy S II owners received an OTA update addressing some serious issues. Performance seemed to increase as well in benchmarks taken right after the update. The LG Optimus 3D was also reviewed, showing off glasses-free 3D video (capable of recording up to 720p@30fps). Tuesday morning, the HTC ChaCha's price-tag was revealed to be $339 (unlocked and sim-free). Later on, we discover Pantech plans on releasing a 5" Android device but it's unknown if this may be a phone or tablet. In my opinion, a 5" phone is just a tad too large to slip into my pocket. Wednesday, we get some hands-on time with the LG Revolution and later on give it a thorough review. We all know about the controversy over HTC's locked bootloader policy, but finally we have a substantial answer for the future of HTC's devices! HTC plans to unlock all future bootloaders, and HTC CEO Peter Chou has confirmed that the EVO 3D's bootloader will be unlocked "one way or another". For more information on what a bootloader is/does, navigate here. The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY was just recently reviewed, and Chris Burns puts it to the test. Overall, it showed lower benchmarks, but the overall experience was very smooth. Google officially announced Google Wallet on Thursday as well some future NFC projects in the making. An actual demonstration of Google Wallet was performed on the Nexus S 4G. As always, don't miss the Android Community App of the Week, TweetCaster HD for your Honeycomb enabled device. Also – don’t forget to tip us with information regarding issues with your devices! The Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition from Google I/O definitely had some issues with broken displays, and the tips/comments help us to confirm this for the majority! Either tip us here, or shoot an email to chris@androidcommunity.com. )
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| ASUS Eee Pad TransformerNow Chugging Along at 1.6 GHz Posted: 28 May 2011 02:03 AM PDT Not long ago we reported that the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer had been overclocked to 1.4 GHz. Never being satisfied, though, developers have cranked it up to 1.6 GHz, with 1.7 in sight. Reading through the thread over on XDA, it sounds like this new kernel is actually more stable than the one we last reported on.
While this kernel is appearing to be stable, that comes with the caveat that it has to run, as some people are seeing their Transformer freeze up when they overclock. Those who are able to get the tablet overclocked successfully though, seem to be blasting away at benchmarks, albeit at the cost of some battery life. Aside from pure shock at the numbers developers are starting to crank out of Tegra 2 chips, there’s not much left to say here. With quad core phone’s around the corner it only makes it that much more incredible that there’s still this much left to squeeze out of the dual-core processors (although to be fair, we’ve been using dual cores for less than a year now). On a final note, when we reported that the Transformer had been overclocked to 1.4 GHz, we mentioned it was starting to near 5000 in Quadrant benchmarks… I present to you the results of the kernel’s creator, XDA user Blades: (That says 5308 by the way) [via XDA] )
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| Google Working with HTC on Ice Cream Sandwich Nexus Phone? Posted: 28 May 2011 12:10 AM PDT Some leaks suck. Your water bill goes up, its a mess, carpet can get ruined. Some leaks are freaking awesome. They reveal new phones, bring us pics of said phones and make me geek out for hours on end! This is the second kind. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Nexus 3.
This leak, courtesy of a brave soul in the Android Dev Labs, brings us an early look at a prototype of the HTC manufactured 3rd Nexus phone which we expect to launch with Ice Cream Sandwich late this year. Let’s see what we’ve got. First, as you can see above, there is a distinct lack of the usual hardware buttons. Ice Cream Sandwich is supposed to bring Honeycomb UI elements to phones, and it appears this includes the trading of hardware buttons for the action bar. While it is hidden by the thumb, there is also a front facing camera. While this is obviously not a finished product, especially considering Ice Cream Sandwich is a ways off still, there are still a few more jewels to gleam here. First it was also noted that Google is testing both an HSPA+ and Sprint CDMA version of the phone, indicating we may see the phone’s initial launch be to multiple carriers. Also, since Google’s changed its mind over hero phones before, a la the Xperia Play, we only know that HTC is being considered. As we draw closer to the end of the year, expect more details and a more solid idea of who will be building the next Nexus. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a phone to go drool over. [via TechHog] )
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| T-Mobile G2x Issues And Resolutions Internal Document Leaked Posted: 27 May 2011 04:36 PM PDT The T-Mobile G2x being pulled from the carriers online store recently spawned rumors that quality issues were behind it. But according to T-Mobile, they temporarily pulled the phone due to inventory constraints. However, they did admit to a having some issues that they plan to fix with an upcoming update. Now a leaked internal document reveals that they’re finally getting more serious about addressing them.
Since day one, the T-Mobile G2x had been plagued with problems such as random reboots, light leakage, and other quality issues. However, T-Mobile says that only a “small percentage” of its customers raised complaints, or in their words “commented about possible improvements.” The carrier did promise that it was working closely with LG to deliver an update to fix those issues. An internal G2x Issues and Resolutions document surfaced today that shows that T-Mobile is finally trying to address a lot of the quirky problems. But many of the issues are still marked as pending resolution. Hopefully, the upcoming Gingerbread update will fix things. In the meantime, take a look at our G2x review.
[via TMoNews] )
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| ASUS Padfone, Android 3.1 for Transformer, and More at Computex 2011 Posted: 27 May 2011 04:02 PM PDT That cool company with the coolest tablet out there, the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, is set to transform the game, as it were, at Computex 2011, coming soon to a Taipei near you. At this event it appears that they’ll be releasing at least one new device, possibly three. There’s some teaser frames to spice up your life below, right here in this post! Then remind yourself that you love new names, even weird ones, as a trademark has been registered by ASUS for the word “Padfone.”
Interesting how similar the text in this new logo looks, reminds on rather of a competing “pad” toting company, doesn’t it? Also note that it’s no artists rendering, it comes straight from the patent office. Is this one of the three (or 1, or just 2,) devices that ASUS is set to show off at Computex 2011? Bank on it. This is the same way we found out about the word XOOM, and look how that turned out!
Have a look here at these three images and tell us what you think of them – one, two, or three devices?    Finally we will be seeing the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer get some Android 3.1 Honeycomb next week, this according to some “inside sources” with This is My Next. Trust! This update will of course bring several new UI features such as advanced resizable widgets, an expanded multi-task switcher, and improved stability. It also adds, in this case, a docking station firmware update that will improve typing speeds, USB capability, and mouse tracking. This update may come out as soon as Monday, aka the first day of Computex 2011. Be there! We’ll be posting all of our Computex guts out via our bigtime portal! [via SlashGear] )
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| Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Review [Verizon] Posted: 27 May 2011 03:32 PM PDT Welcome to a real PlayStation experience. What you’re dealing with here is the original Android 2.3 Gingerbread Google Phone that fell out of grace for one reason or another but definitely still shows signs that it was MADE to work with Gingerbread. It’s slick and sleek, the physical buttons for the 4 Android functions are fabulous, and the combination of plastic and metal and glass in the majority of the handset are well done. But how about that PlayStation controller? Let’s take a look.
The controller is where it’s at. This phone certainly does not need the controller to survive, as it definitely is a slick single-core Android handset on it’s own, but that PlayStation controller is the maker. Or it’s the breaker. Will the fact that there’s a set of buttons created specifically for playing Xperia PLAY games under this display top going to drive you to purchase, or drive you to a different phone? That is definitely and without a doubt, the question that needs to be answered first, last, and overall. HardwareWhat you’ve got is a slider handset that in total sizes in at 4.69 x 2.44 x 0.63 (119 x 62 x 16 mm) and weighs in at 6.17 oz (175 g). The display is run with TFT LCD technology, is a medium 4 inches, and it’s got both a light sensor and a proximity sensor built in. It’s got a 1500 mAh battery that’s good for basically a day, connects to Verizon’s 3G network, and it runs Single core, Scorpion ARMv7, 1 GHz processor.
This device has 512 MB RAM / 512 MB ROM, a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a camera only good enough for video chat on the front (alternatively you could trust the video and photos below and make your own judgement.) The camera on the back is capable of filming 1280×720 (720p HD) and 800 x 480 pixels 30 fps. It comes with a microSDHC card at 8 GB, and can hold up to 32 GB with the same slot under the battery cover.
PlayStation ControlsThe PlayStation controller is, again, the key here. It’s not exactly the same as the PlayStation interface you’d find on the classic controller, but it’s close, and once you’re using it you’ll fall right into your old PlayStation habits with it. You might even choose to work with Android with the controller instead of tapping the display. I personally often pull the controller open just to get the kind of hold on the device that’s not available to me on similar devices. A very nice effort by the folks at Sony Ericsson here, very nice.
Hardware / Software WalkthroughThe following is a special hands-on walkthrough of this device filmed because this device is no ordinary phone, it’s totally unique, and when something is this unique and we’ve got our hands on it, it’s video time. Have a look at your humble narrator walk through the phone and its gaming components here: SoftwareWhat you’re getting here is essentially a Vanilla Android experience. Why is that, you ask? Why, it’s because this phone was the original hero phone for Android 2.3 Gingerbread, of course. For the full account of that back in our post called Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Confirmed as Former Gingergread Hero Phone. It’s a real hoot. What this means is that there’s not a whole lot of extra fuzz lying around, especially in the apps department. You basically get a straight up optimized vision of the newest version of Android – that being, after the update this week, version 2.3.3 Gingerbread.
The one app we need to look at a little bit more in depth is one just called “Xperia PLAY.” What this app leads you to is a games panel that you can flip through to see all the PlayStation-optimized games that you’ve got on your device. It also leads you to a similar window with games you do not yet own but definitely should, so says Verizon. Each of these icons leads you either directly into the game (if you own it) or into the V-Cast store – here you’re able to download all the games using your Verizon account. Very easy, very dangerous if you get into trouble buying things with credit cards and are a shopaholic.
Then there’s the games connecting with the controller. Some games work great, others aren’t quite there yet. An example of one that’s not quite there yet is Raving Babies. This game definitely works with the PlayStation controls, but certainly isn’t a game where it makes just a whole lot of difference. Basically meh. See the video of our review of the app here: Next lets take a peek at a game that definitely DOES benefit from the new controls, namely Gun Bros. This game has been out for a few months now, and is fairly popular thus far because it’s extremely entertaining, free, and works well on tablets. Here we get to use much more real joysticks and the game is a whole lot more entertaining since we’re not blocking 25% of the screen with giant hands. I should note here that we’re going to be continuing to review apps until the cows come home, thusly if you’d like to see more app reviews specifically on this device, just hang a left to the Xpera PLAY portal.
CameraThe camera is definitely not one of Xperia PLAY’s selling points. If it were, it would not sell very well, let me tell you that. That said, the back-facing camera is OK enough for Facebook.
PerformanceThis device does not do the best in benchmarks, but by all evidences in every single game I’ve checked out here, there’s no slowdown whatsoever. Games load in a reasonable amount of time, accelerated graphics for everyone, massively impressive environments with no problem. Watch the demo video above and see what I mean. Really slick.
BatteryCurrently my battery is at 44% and I did not charge it overnight. It is currently 4PM and the last time I charged it was late yesterday. This is essentially what you’ll be experiencing unless you end up playing Bruce Lee and Age of Zombies for hours and hours on end – then you might have a little bit more of an issue with the battery running out quick. Overall the battery appears to hold up very well.
Wrap-UpWhat you’re dealing with here is an Android phone for PlayStation people. This is not the same as a PlayStation phone for Android people, mind you, as it’s important that you understand, have felt, and love the way the original PlayStation controller feels in your hands. This device is not the same as the original PlayStation controller, but the buttons are all there – the only thing missing is the knobs to wrap the rest of your fingers around. It is comfortable for yours truly, but may not be large enough for others. I’m over 6 feet tall and certainly don’t have the smallest hands in the world. Compare for size in the videos above.
If you are a love of Android and have never really gotten into the whole PlayStation fad that’s been going on since the 1990s, you may certainly not have a good time with this phone at all. While it’s fun to control the Android homescreens and app drawer and whatnot with the PlayStation controller, it’s something that a PlayStation fan will have a whole lot better time with. Of course you can still use the touchscreen, and technically you never have to push out the PlayStation controls at all if you don’t want to, but then there’s really not any point to this whole situation then is there? I say nay!
If you’ve never touched an Android phone before AND have never touched a PlayStation controller before – I have NO idea what planet you’re from but it must be weird there. You MIGHT enjoy this phone, it does have awesome games, the controller is tested and true, and Android is the fastest growing mobile interface in the world. That should convince you to try it out at the very least.
If you’re like me and have had a bunch of Android phones pass through your hands, liking or hating them all based on tiny factors, this is going to be basically an instant make-or-break for you. For me it’s one of the most entertaining and well-constructed smartphones I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. I love the integration of the games thus far, everything looks bright and wonderful, and most important of all, I understood how to use the PlayStation controller to control Android instantly. I very often turn the phone on, do some business, and turn the phone back off without ever touching the screen. Very enjoyable.
Should you purchase this phone? It really depends on what kind of person you are. Moreso here than ever before, the form factor reigns supreme. It whips games optimized for it in and out with speed, it’s fun to use, and it has its own library of games prepared for it that work only and specifically with it. This is the power of the PlayStation brand.                                                      )
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| Android Community 101: Bootloaders Posted: 27 May 2011 02:08 PM PDT Bootloaders. They’re quite the touchy subject for many of us geekier android lovers. Naturally they’ve been a hot topic in the news lately, with HTC deciding to lock down phones only to reverse the decision. This is hardly an issue reserved for HTC though. For those who aren’t as privy to the underlying workings of computers, what a bootloader is, and what it means for one to be unlocked can be unclear. We’re gonna break down for you what a bootloader does (at a non-technical level), what the difference between locked/encrypted/unlocked/signed/etc, which manufacturers are doing what, and why the debate is so hot, and why you should care.
What is a Bootloader and What Does it Do?: So Why Can’t We Just Unlock it?:
Even phones like the Nexus line have locked bootloaders, but unlocking them is very simple if you so desire. On most phones this will void the warranty however, but more on that later. Not all phones’ bootloaders are as easy to unlock though. Some have been unlocked by exploiting weaknesses in code, while some require the help of the manufacturer, as is the case with Sony Ericsson’s newest Xperia phones. It’s when we get a “signed” bootloader that trouble starts. The first phone to really bring the bootloader issue to light was the Motorola Milestone, which was the international version of the original Droid here in the U.S. The bootloader was indeed signed, and to this day has not been truly cracked. For this reason international owners of the Milestone did not have anywhere near the freedom as Droid owners had. Since the Milestone we’ve seen several different approaches to bootloader policy from different manufacturers, but until recently things had not been going too well.
So Where are We Now?:
So Why Does Any of this Matter?: If you have any questions feel free to hit up this thread! I’ll be watching it and answering questions anyone asks there as best I can. Also feel free to leave your opinion on the bootloader issue either in the thread or the comments. )
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| AMD Roadmap Leaked “DESNA” Tablets Detailed Posted: 27 May 2011 01:41 PM PDT If you’ll remember back a few weeks we had a post up on AMD and their possible move to make chips that’d make some tablet-consumers very happy. Now there’s been one big massive leak of a multi-page roadmap for AMD floating around and what do you know? Tablets are here! The current arena of AMD’s chips contains AMD C-30 and C-50 chips that are straight up aimed at Intel’s Atom chips for notebooks. These new C-series chips include an iterated AMD Radeon graphics core that’s capable of handling 3D graphics acceleration and 1080p video playback. Sounds like its tablet party time.
These processors are not the same as the ones that’ll be coming out via these future plans, but they’re certainly suftboards on which the future is going to roll in on. The NEW set of chips is going to be a Fusion Z-Series and will be code-named “DESNA.” Reminds me of a similar code-naming of future chips we found out about back at Mobile World Congress. Desna chips are, according to these documents, set to support DirectX 11 graphics, Adobe Flash Player video acceleration, and smooth streaming of HD video. Hardware graphics acceleration for Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft Office 10, and Windows 7 visual effects are included too, which makes us think that they’ve got at least part of their vision set for Microsoft. On the other hand, there’s always room for Android, right? Also as liliputing notes, Desna will certainly need to have low power consumption for long battery life in combination with high power if AMD hopes to compete with tablets using next-generation Intel Atom Oak Trail chips or ARM-based processors. What do you think, does AMD stand a chance? Also check out the rest of the sheets here:                   [via Liliputing] )
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| ZiiLabs JAGUAR Android dual and quad-core Reference Platforms Unveiled Posted: 27 May 2011 12:10 PM PDT This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of ZiiLabs, but it seems as though each time they show their head they seem to fade back into the background as swiftly as they re-appeared. This time they’ve got a hankering for Honeycomb and they’ve got what appears to be some lovely reference tablets for OEM and ODM to be using to bring their own Android tablets running Android 3.x with speed and grace. What these tablets are also made for is housing the brand new ZMS-40 and ZMS-20 processors. These are dual-core and a quad-core chipsets, both at 1.5 GHz.
I’m sure you could go out and own one of these if you were just a regular user, but they certainly aren’d designed to look and feel like the most user-friendly pieces of industrial design. There are two designs (one for each chipset, I bet,) the first being a seven-inch, 1024×600 LCD toting tablet, the other having a ten-inch 1280×800 display. The odd thing about these displays is that they call for both capacitive AND resistive touchscreen functionality – they also support OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics and have front and rear-facing cameras. Another oddity is that they’re both five-megapixel cameras, making these the first 5-megapixel front-facing camera-toting Android devices. Both of these devices are slated to be revealed at Computex next week, which we indeed will be running around at. What do you think? Something you feel like you want to pick up as a regular consumer? Check out the press release below: )
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| Microsoft Receives $5 Per Phone HTC Sells Posted: 27 May 2011 11:38 AM PDT Oh my goodness what a wacky deal we’ve got going on here. It seems that amongst a few other announcements on money and where it’s going in the world of Microsoft, a tiny tip has emerged that’s about to have the streets rolling with Hamiltons. That’s right, HTC day is still Microsoft’s pay day. According to Citi analyst Walter Pritchard, who released a large report on Microsoft earlier this morning, Microsoft gets $5 for every HTC phone running Android they sell.
This amount of cash is coming out of HTC’s pocket on the daily according to this report, Pritchard also noting that this situation is due to a settlement with HTC over intellectual property infringement. In addition to this, Pritchard’s report details how Microsoft is suing “other” Android phone makers for anywhere between $7.50 to $12.50 per device. Hot cash! The analyst works out that a rough estimate of the cash Microsoft gets per Windows Phone license in licensing fees is $15 – this, with an admitted 2 million licenses sold thus far puts the official revenue on Windows Phone at $30 million. In comparison, the number of HTC devices shipped with Android on them is around 30 million – if HTC payed $5 per unit to Microsoft, that’d be $150 million in revenue. This is all part of a 2010 patent settlement between HTC and Microsoft in which technologies are in use by the former for which the IP is owned by the latter. Bug bummer for all those who love the Dr Dre of this situation! [via SlashGear] )
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