Android Community |
- LG Optimus 3D Delayed Until July
- Developer Android Toy Included in Fabulous Dead Zebra Moving Auction
- HTC ChaCha Review
- Samsung to Provide Galaxy Tab 10.1 to American Airlines for Premium Class In-Flight Entertainment
- HTC Flyer tablet with 3G hits FCC headed for T-Mobile
- Toshiba Thrive tablet up for pre-order
- HTC Sensation 4G hands-on and unboxing video [part 2]
- Pantech Crossover Review
| LG Optimus 3D Delayed Until July Posted: 13 Jun 2011 11:16 AM PDT In a move that makes us all cry into our collective 3D pillows, several online stores have revealed today that they’ll not be able to sell the LG Optimus 3D this month as previously planned. Both Play.com and Clove are amongst these stores revealing the sadness. Clove announced via its official blog that the device will be pushed back until July 11, 2011 specifically and will still cost £455, previously noting that they’d received their stock of the device earlier this month.
Play’s announcement came in the form of an announcement from their very similar blog in which they note that the release date for the device will be one day after Clove, that being the 12th of July, 2011. The price you’ll pay for this additional day is £470. One extra day and a few more bucks. I think I may know which store I’ll be ordering from. If you’d like to know a whole lot more information about this oddly appealing device that’ll get your glasses-free 3D engine revving up, head back to a couple posts of ours from a couple weeks ago. First see the LG Optimus 3D Hands-On and Unboxing post for maximum surprise and action. Then head over to the LG Optimus 3D Full Review for all the information you could possibly need! [via Recombu] )
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| Developer Android Toy Included in Fabulous Dead Zebra Moving Auction Posted: 13 Jun 2011 10:59 AM PDT Oh my goodness would you look at that, one of the rarest (and some of the MOST RARE) Android figures from the official source are up for auction today. The one mentioned in the title of this post is certainly the most rare of the production-size-run Androids on the market, that being a series of 300, a Developer Android only given out to official Android personnel! That and a handful of other rarities and awesome bits including signed figures are up for auction on ebay now, direct from the folks that kindly bring you these Android figures, Angry Zebra!
So what the heck is going on here, you might ask, is this money going to save the Android orphans? Not so much. All the cash will be going to Angry Zebra themselves in order to offset the cost of moving their studio for the first time in seven years! Grab a piece of that delicious striped meat carcass and tear it up with your teeth!
That said, there’s a few rarities in this collection I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on, including prototype cupcake androids that smell like vanilla and chocolate (they really, work, we know it!) and a couple of classic green androids signed by none other than Andrew Bell and Andy Rubin, the originator of this style, if you know what I mean.
Take a peek at all of the auctions via this ebay link and bid on only the items that I don’t want! I’ll be watching you! Note also that we just completed a Series 2 Giveaway and will be having more giveaways of a similar nature in the future! )
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| Posted: 13 Jun 2011 10:12 AM PDT Well wouldn’t you know it, our good pal Chris Davies over on our sister site SlashGear had TWO Facbeook Phones up his sleeve. That is the HTC Salsa and now the HTC ChaCha as well! Word of this device was released back at the same time as the Salsa at Mobile World Congress 2011, this particular sibling of the Salsa having a full QWERTY keyboard below a landscape screen, both of them toting the all-powerful physical Facebook button. Will this half of the equation add up to be a whole?
Note before we go any further that this device has one other name, and that is the ChaChaCha. For the full story on that, head back to a post all about the strangeness of Spain. Moving forward, let’s have a look at this white fury:
HardwareWhen you’ve got all the HTC devices lined up in a row, this device appears to be rather unique in its bodily design. On the other hand, it does come with a lot of the same design cues that the recent set have shown: the separated nature of the Salsa on the back, the same white plastic as the Flyer, and even a similar basic camera setup as the Sensation. That said, it does move along the same lines as the greater BlackBerry family and the Motorola XPRT / DROID Pro. Candybars abound!
This device gives you a 2.6-inch 480 x 320 pixel resolution touchscreen with the four basic Android buttons underneath, under which there’s a full QWERTY keyboard and two buttons in between: call and end-call. This is unique in the modern HTC line. There’s a volume rocker and microUSB port on the left, power/lock button and headphone jack on the top, and essentially nothing anywhere else. This device also features what’s been being called the “HTC chin,” that being a bit of a lift in the bottom bit of the device where you’re supposed to hold for typing. This feature also allows the entirety of the front of the device to be lifted off the surface of whatever you’ve placed the device on if you’ve placed it there face-down.
The ChaCha is supposedly 4.5 x 2.54 x 0.42 inches, but given that this appears to be the thickness of the chin, aka the thickest point, we’ve got to note that it’s thinner than it looks. The display is 2.5-inches which is indeed small, but still carries the same resolution as the slightly larger HTC Salsa which has a 3.4-inch display. This small screen is fine for viewing, but those used to using a BlackBerry or similar such QWERTY plus display candybar designs will be left wishing for a trackball or optical joystick. That said, the keyboard is magnificent, tapping easily without too much give, TicTac sized keys with a 2x sized keyboard and an up-down-left-right set of buttons are complimented by tab, FN, SYM and a secondary set of keys activated with the shift key. Two functions you may want to check out: FN plus period equals camera, and FN plus spacebar equals Settings – though our review unit did not appear to be having this second combo activated for one reason or another. Then of course there’s the Facebook button.
The similarities between this device and the HTC Salsa begin right there, at that button, continuing on with Both use an 800MHz single-core Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM. That camera on the back is a 5-megapixel autofocus with LED flash, on the front is a VGA webcam, there’s a microSD card slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-USB port and GPS. Finally there’s connectivity along WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0, along with – on the European model – dualband 900/2100MHz HSPA/WCDMA and quadband GSM/EDGE.
SoftwareThis device runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread out of the box and runs another new version of HTC Sense. This version is the third we’ve seen in the past few devices, that being one for the Flyer using Sense 3.0 (and the Sensation being basically the same,) one for the Salsa with a modified 2.1, now this one using “2.1 for Messenger.” Changes include moving the suit to a landscape orientation and switching the color scheme to gray.
This new setup has the main subject sitting on the left while a menu often pops up on the right. In a similar fashion, your default homescreen panel is the leftmost of seven rather than the center. This screen has the app menu and customize keys in its bottom corners by default, which is nice, but there’s a few changes in the notifications bar: no recent apps scrollbar, and no quick access to settings. We’d grown fond of such settings in the past iterations of Sense, thusly this, and such oddities as the end-call button doing nothing but end calls, can be frustrating.
The lockscreen with the four customizable quick-access shortcuts is still here from Sense 3.0, but there’s no awesome weather widget. This new UI is enjoyable to explore, but as Davies notes, can be a mixed bag for usability. One of the more positive changes comes in the aforementioned menu sitting on the right of the screen, this feature showing up in your apps menu, Friend Stream, and Gallery App. As for apps loaded on the device when you get it, you’ll be grabbing all your recent HTC favorites such as Books, Friend Stream, HTC Hub, HTC Likes, Mirror, Peep and the WiFi Hotspot app.
As is featured on the HTC Salsa, you’ll be able to tap that Facebook button to access your ability to instantly share a new status message to your Facebook wall. You’ll be able, again, to share a music track, webpage, or upon long-pressing, your physical location using Facebook Pages. This functionality does not yet cross over to third-party apps. At this point you’ll begin to think twice about your decision to purchase an Android device with such a small screen after having used device after device with much and in some cases MUCH larger displays. Your menu to the right of the screen inside Friend Stream allows you even a smaller screen with which you’ll be able to view your friends updates, photos, etc., why HTC didn’t decide instead to have this menu disappear whenever the user does not need it, we’ll never know.
CameraSurprisingly, though we found the brother of this device, the HTC Salsa, to have not such a fabulous camera loaded on it, the HTC ChaCha is coming out swinging. One oddity we did find was that the occasional photo would look next to terrible on the ChaCha’s screen while transporting the photo to Facebook or the desktop showed the result to be just fine. For example:
Phone and BatteryCall quality appears to be basically perfect to and from this device, while the top end of the speakerphone function does crack just a tiny bit. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: there’s no reason why, in this modern age, that we can’t have perfect call quality when we’ve already moved beyond the voice call into social multiplicity. This device features a 1,250 mAh battery, that being almost 300 less than the HTC Salsa, the reason being, we assume, the much smaller display. This size batter on this device afforded us a total of about a day and a half with HEAVY use.
Wrap-UpWhat you’ve got here is an update machine. Though it’s not the most fantastic device for viewing content, take one look at how large the display is compared to the keyboard and it’ll become clear what this device is truly meant for. The display bows down to one of the greatest QWERTY keyboards we’ve ever laid thumbs on, and the chicklets will no doubt remain true. That said, the software leaves room for improvement, but as HTC has the ability to improve with a single software update, and as I’m sure the manufacturer and the carriers will no doubt be pushing, there’s more to it than Facebook. We’d like to thank Three for the loaner handset! Also note: head back over to SlashGear for Davies’ full look!                    )
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| Samsung to Provide Galaxy Tab 10.1 to American Airlines for Premium Class In-Flight Entertainment Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:08 AM PDT You first-class passengers are about to get a little bit more classy, a whole heck of a lot more classy if Samsung has anything to say about it. Samsung has just sealed a “landmark agreement” with American Airlines to provide Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablets to Premium Class passengers for in-flight entertainment. This move will start with 6,000 tablets deployed later this year (2011) and will replace the current personal entertainment device (which, I’m sure they’d admit, was untastefully out of date,) this happening on transcontinental flights between New York's JFK and Los Angeles, JFK and San Francisco, and Miami and Los Angeles.
Additionally, these tablets will be deployed to international flights from and to Europe and South America served with 767-300 aircraft; and transcontinental flights departing from Boston to Los Angeles served with 757 aircraft. This is a rather forward thinking move made by an airline that’s part of a much larger hive mind which says that airlines should stay as they are because it works. We’ve not had airplanes that have allowed smoking for many, many years now and they STILL make a point to note that you’re not allowed to do so, marking specifically that you’ll be riding on a non-smoking flight – as opposed to… a non-smoking flight. Check out our hands-on with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and get ready for the full review coming early this week! Also check out the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Google I/O Limited Edition review! This also hopefully marks a move to more modular systems in aircraft, many airlines still relying on once-built models with no modifications until it’s time to scrap. Notice the plastic stuck-in window shades and the full-deck walls. Bring us into the future, Samsung! Then again, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has no access to battery and no microSD card slot, so maybe the airlines have found their perfect match. Check out the full press release below. )
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| HTC Flyer tablet with 3G hits FCC headed for T-Mobile Posted: 13 Jun 2011 07:10 AM PDT Back in late May, we posted up our review of the HTC Flyer with WiFi only. We figure the tablet wasn't for everyone, but those wanting to be able to write notes on the tablet will appreciate the optional pen. We also mentioned at the time that 3G versions of the tablet were coming and that 3G tablet has now hit the FCC for its needed approvals. The tablet appears to be heading to the T-Mobile network.
The FCC details show that the tablet is called the PG41120 and has support for T-Mo’s GSM 850 and 1900 bands and will operate on the WCDMA IV band as well. If you are hoping that the tablet might get some 4G capability, that is not mentioned anywhere in the FCC docs reports Wirelessgoodness. The hardware inside the 3G version should be the same that the WiFi tablet we reviewed had inside. That would mean a 7-inch screen and pen capability. The tablet also has Android 2.3, a 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor, 1GB of RAM onboard. The 3G version is expected to get 32GB of storage, 1.3MP front camera, and a 5MP rear camera. The 3G version will still offer WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS capability as well. We still have no official pricing on the 3G version of the tablet, but as we said in the WiFi only review, we expect the 3G version to carry about a $100 premium over the WiFi only versions $499 price. [via Wirelessgoodness] )
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| Toshiba Thrive tablet up for pre-order Posted: 13 Jun 2011 03:32 AM PDT Toshiba has thrown open pre-orders for its Thrive Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablet, ahead of shipments beginning in mid-July. Priced from $449.99 for the 8GB model – with the 16GB at $479.99 and the 32GB at $579.99 – the Toshiba Thrive has a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display, full-sized HDMI output and a removable battery.
Inside is NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chipset, along with GPS, an accelerometer, digital compass, Bluetooth, WiFi b/g/n and 1GB of RAM. The battery is a 23Wh pack; Toshiba isn’t saying how long that should last, but being able to switch it out for a second one should answer most questions about longevity. There’s also twin cameras – 5-megapixels up front, 2-megapixels on the back – USB 2.0 and mini USB ports, a full-sized SD card slot, screen rotation lock-switch and a rubberized back plate for easier gripping. In short, it seems like Toshiba has really thought through a lot of what would-be tablet buyers are looking for, though we won’t know for sue until review units start arriving. [via Notebook Italia] )
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| HTC Sensation 4G hands-on and unboxing video [part 2] Posted: 12 Jun 2011 04:51 PM PDT Recently I had the pleasure to get some hands-on with the new HTC Sensation 4G coming to T-Mobile. We have already done a full review of the Sensation by our good man Chris Burns here. I’m sure another look and some additional views and input regarding the phone would be nice to hear, especially for any of you that are debating on if this will be your next device or not. Let me help you decide, so far I love it.
Since we already reviewed this phone this is more of an unboxing as well as some more initial thoughts and impressions for all you readers. The phone started selling early at Walmart and was quickly shutdown, so for those still waiting it should be available to order in Walmart stores starting today June 12th, and at T-Mobile stores on the 15th. If you have not drove around town and found one already then this post should help you make up your mind if you should or not. I’ll have some up close pictures below as well as some thoughts and comparisons
To start things off right I’ll have to get right down to the hardware side of things. The Sensation 4G features the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor, its the second dual-core device on T-Mobile with the first being the G2x with a Tegra 2 CPU, but this phone has the new Qualcomm chip and graphics. It also comes with a brilliant 4.3″ qHD display with a high resolution of 960×540, it has an 8 MP shooter on the rear and a front facing VGA for video chat, imbedded inside is 1GB of memory along with the optional MicroSD slot. This device can shoot full 1080p and the camera is amazing from my initial tests, it comes in with Android 2.3 but covered in the new HTC Sense UI 3.0 that brings a new unlock screen and other features.
I know a lot of reviews for many phones with the Sensation included have said that it feels really good in the hand, the reason they all say that is because it really is true. This device has one of the better in-hand feels compared to many I have tested in the past. I have the MyTouch 4G, the G2x, the Droid X2, the Revolution and a few others all on my desk and the Sensation 4G feels the best in my opinion. The hardware is what we have come to expect from HTC, it’s top notch and made to a higher standard than some phones. This is obviously user preference as some love the lightweight but almost cheap feeling of the Samsung Galaxy S line, and some will love the slightly heavier yet expensive and top quality feeling the Sensation 4G has. I personally really like the build quality, it just feels and seems well made in every aspect.
The high-res qHD display looks brilliant like I mentioned above, just being able to browse more on websites or see more in your twitter feed due to the higher resolution makes it super nice. There is much less scrolling on webpages as well as things like the settings tab on your phone all because there is just that much more content on the screen. While I’m talking about the display I did want to mention that using the device outside wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. Other screens like that on the LG G2x handles direct and indirect sunlight much better than the qHD display on the Sensation 4G but that is the only area where the LG display was better, every other aspect the Sensation is ahead in my book. Without getting into things too deep as I plan to review the device much more over the coming days I’ll go ahead and post up the video as well as a few more photos for you all to enjoy. Overall the Sensation 4G feels blazing fast, the dual-core 1.2 Ghz processor speeds things right along. So far I’ve not experienced lag of any sort even while the market was restoring a huge list of applications. Sense 3.0 is a welcomed improvement to the Sense UI, the unlock screen is extremely convenient and makes those quick turn on just to text someone moments even easier. Check out the video and images below and before I leave, will you be buying the HTC Sensation 4G? Tell us below in the comments. HTC Sensation 4G hands-on and unboxing                    )
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| Posted: 12 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT What we’ve got here today is Pantech’s very first Android effort in the United States. It’s certainly no top-tier device, but a mid-range contender it certainly is. That said, as a commenter noted in the hands-on post, it reminds one very much of a phone from 2007 by the name of Helio Ocean. Does that mean its hopelessly outdated? Absolutely not. Have a look at a device that I’d suggest to any one of my relatives who want to get into Android any day of the week. Family and friends lost in the unconnected past, welcome to the mobile future, this is your guide, the Pantech Crossover.
Below is a review that’s going to cover everything you need to know about this device, and it’s pretty simple because simply, there isn’t that much to know. You’ve got a fully functional Android device here with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard and a 3-megapixel camera on the back. There’s a 600MHz ARM v6-compatible processor and the device is running Android 2.2.1. Sound like a little winner?
HardwareThis device is right around the size of a Nexus S, measuring in at 4.45 x 2.28 x 0.56 (113 x 58 x 14 mm), and it weighs in at 5.15 oz (146 g). The display you’ve got on this device is a 3.1-inch 320 x 480 pixel resolution TFT LCD with the four standard Android buttons split between physical and touch, the menu and home buttons sitting on a nice little platform that allows you a unique form for clicking. At the top of the display, up around the side, are two more unique buttons including a lock/power button on the upper right and a function button in the upper left. They’ve got ridges for easy feeling, medium press for excellent touchability.
The function button in the upper left is a very powerful choice in the part of Pantech. Where the last place we saw such a button was in the keyboard of the Sidekick 4G, here we’ve got it placed in a location that’s either going to be very useful or very out of the way and forgotten about. The button is set up to offer you a screen that you’ll be able to fill with app shortcuts. The best bit of this is that it’s empty at the outset. They’ve given you this function without tossing ANY of their own apps in your face. Excellent choice, Pantech and AT&T. The power / lock button is opposite this function button, again, and is very nice to use.
Volume up and down are on the left, plastic covered USB port on the right above a physical camera button with a single tap photo taking function. What I mean by that is there’s no halfway to focus – it’s just photographing or not photographing, good luck with focus. Have a look below at some examples of camera-produced media.
The slide-out keyboard is on a slider that’s amongst the best we’ve ever seen. We cannot speak quite yet on how well it will be holding up over several months, but for now, it’s just tough enough to stick where it should, loose enough to slide with one hand. The keyboard itself has just the keys you need, a secondary set of keys with ALT, and up down left and right buttons. Nothing too fancy, works, well made.
You’ve got a SIM card slot under the battery cover in the back, a 1500 mAh batter that, because the phone is so simple, doesn’t appear to EVER run out, though after a couple days we are having to break down and charge it. This should be par for the course with a mid-range phone like this, but all too often it isn’t. Thanks again to Pantech for keeping the light burning on a device that by all means should be easy to power. That microSD card slot comes with a 2GB card inside and will be able to carry up to a 32GB card if you like. Screen responsiveness is fine, phone as a whole is creak-free, plastic seems rough and tough, definitely at the top end of mid range.
Hands-On ReviewSoftware and PerformancePantech has gone ahead and added their own unique user interface over Android, one that makes the device look like one of their classic devices on the face. On the other hand, you can certainly still tell you’re working with Android 2.2 Froyo, and because this device isn’t going to win any processing power battles anyway, worrying about the UI slowing you down shouldn’t, if you’re asking me, be at the top of your list of priorities.
You’ll start to notice the smallness of the processor once you start to play games. If you don’t play any games with devices such as these, you’ll have no problems flying around to your different text apps and whatnot, but if you want to play even a game so simple as Angry Birds, you’ll have a little bit of skipping going on.
It’s worth noting that this is only the second Android device to be released by AT&T that has the ability to install third-party apps. Up until now AT&T had blocked all applications not coming directly from the official Android Market, this firing up fans of Android hoping to use their own apps or perfectly capable apps outside Google’s marketplace, thusly the Infuse 4G became the first in the future of devices that were open. Stay the course, AT&T, you’ll love how good it feels!
CameraThe camera you’re using here is certainly not made to help you win any photo contests. It’ll take you some OK pics if you’re all about sharing from mobile to mobile, but even Facebook will be wanting more than this.
Above is a single photo taken with the device in natural light taken indoors on an overcast day, below is a video filmed inside the waiting room of the gas station I was sitting in while my car was getting repaired and I wrote this excellent review.
Phone and BatteryCall quality is excellent, no sound quality issues on either side. The speaker on this device is mediocre, “squabbling” the audio when at full blast. You can certainly watch YouTube videos on this device, but they’ll be grainy and your audio wont be the best. That said, again, this phone sounds fine if you’re just using it as a phone. Battery will last you upwards of two full days. A 1500mAh batter on a small device such as this is bound to give you great performance. Of course if you watch video and blast through data by using the portable hotspot function with your laptop, you’ll be finding your performance to be much less impressive.
Value and PricingThis device will be costing you a total of $69.99 with a 2-year contract attached on AT&T’s mobile network. At this price point you’ll be selecting whatever works for you, while $150 and up you should really be considering your options. For a smartphone of this caliber, certainly $70 is more than reasonable. It’s no free deal like you’re getting on some devices these days, (and you should always look out for those,) but $70 is what this phone should cost if it’s not free on contract. On the other hand, you can get the magnificent Infuse 4G also on AT&T for right around $200. Worth more than double the price? Oh yes, oh yes.
Wrap-UpA solid little phone on AT&T running Android for those who are looking to first get into smartphones on the Android wave. That’s what we’ve got here. Pantech have come out swinging very small, soft fists, but given that this device is generally decent, we look forward to their next move. The Pantech Crossover is a good looking device, and it’s certainly apparent that the industrial designers behind the form knew exactly what they were doing: with materials, with placement of interactive elements, with color, with everything.
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