Monday, June 6, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

OFFICIAL: Toshiba Thrive Pre-Sale Starts June 13th

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 05:25 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

We’re currently on the horn with Toshiba executives who have given us word that the official Toshiba Thrive pre-order will begin June 13th with – as we’ve heard before – shipments coming in early to mid July.

The Thrive is one of Toshiba’s first forays into the Android World although in September we saw the Toshiba Folio 100 and back in the day they even had a few Android phones with the Toshiba TG01 and Toshiba TG02. All of those Androids stayed out of America and it’s with the Thrive that Toshiba makes it’s first real push at a mainstream Android device.

I wondered if Toshiba was merely testing the Android waters as we haven’t seen much of anything until now. Apparently not: “We’re in it for the long-haul,” said a Toshiba Exec, suggesting that in due time Toshiba will have “a family of [tablet] products.” Clearly, we can expect that this family will be of Android genealogy.

Strategically, it makes more sense for Toshiba to start their big Android push with a tablet as they’re already deep into the Consumer PC market. From a development standpoint, I have to wonder how working with Honeycomb may have differed from working with the mobile platform. With Toshiba’s computing and mobile operations in two different groups, we weren’t able to get much insight into the phone vs. tablet landscape for the company.

 

Toshiba’s unique take on Android brings continuity between traditional computing and the tablet experience as evidenced by the Thrive’s load of external ports including 2 full-size USB ports, Mini-USB, full-size HDMI-out, full-size SD card slot, and dock connection port in addition to a more standard power input. It has a 5MP rear camera, 2MP front-facing camera, and is powered by a Tegra 2 processor running Android 3.1. As you can see (above and below), several accessories will be available including docks, cases, and color options. One nice addition is a hardware rotation lock button that will prevent your screen from auto-rotating, great for those times when you’re lounging around and don’t want inadvertent angle shifts to disturb your user experience.

 

The Toshiba Thrive also contains a removal case which means – you guessed it – a removal battery. Batteries lose capacity over time so you may want to replace it at some point, but perhaps more importantly, road warriors can lug around a fully charged spare and “just-in-case”, have access to full power with a quick switch. Replacement batteries will cost $89.99 through Toshiba. Then again you might not need it: Toshiba claims their “quick charge” capability allows you to recharge up to 90% of the battery in 1.5 hours.

I say “lug” sarcastically as one of the Thrive’s few complaints is the .6-inch thickness and 1.6-pound body; it’s larger and heavier than many of its competitors.

From a software standpoint Toshiba is bundling a bunch of apps including a File Manager, Media Manager, Quick Office, Need For Speed, PrinterShare and LogMeIn. Whether or not LogMeIn will be the $30 full version, merely a trial, or something in between is still unforeseen.

The Toshiba Thrive will come in 3 versions – 8GB ($429.99) , 16GB ($479.99) and 32GB ($579.99) – all of which will be Wi-Fi only models.

We’re hoping to get hands-on with the Toshiba Thrive and eventually publish a full review, but until then, head over to our Toshiba Thrive Forums to chat it up with fellow Android enthusiasts about the company’s first big Android offering.

Apps of the Day: Apparatus, Active Alerts Weather Alerts, and More

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 03:52 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

On our continuing effort to find some true gems in the Android Market, we bring you yet another edition of Apps of the Day. Today’s selections provide both mind-stretching and mind-melting fun as well as a weather app that might just keep you out of harms way. Find a few new apps worth checking out below as we kick off another week.

Apparatus - It’s part Incredible Machine (anyone remember that game?) part Little Big Planet. Apparatus is a sandbox-style puzzle game that allows you to create contraptions and machines out of a selection of parts including wheels, blocks, hinges, ropes, and more. Control your creations and watch as the physics engine and 3D graphics do the rest. When your done watch it all fall apart with destructible objects. If you are a tinkerer by nature or just need to exercise your mind, well worth checking out. [Market]

Grim Joggers Freestyle – Grim Joggers Freestyle is an arcade-style sidescroller — a racing game where you lead yourself and 14 other joggers across a variety of pitfalls, attempting to survive as long as possible. That’s right, this isn’t your normal afternoon jog. There are plenty of ways to meet your doom, and some are a bit gruesome. The OpenFeint title wins points for quirkiness and is a fun experience to boot. [Market]

Active Alerts Weather Alerts – With a string of deadly tornadoes recently striking the country and hurricane season looming in the near future, it’s not a bad idea to download Active Alerts Weather Alerts. The app is pretty basic — it alerts you to weather warnings and watches posted by the National Weather Service for your area. It doesn’t do much, but it does it well. We’re not sure on the $2 price tag, though. [Market]

WiFi-Only Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 on Sale June 8 Exclusively at Union Square Best Buy in NYC

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 03:52 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

Samsung just hit us with a reminder that the WiFi-only version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will go on sale at 12PM EDT at the Union Square Best Buy in New York City this Wednesday, June 8th. The exclusive launch comes with a few perks for those that make it out to pick up the latest tablet from Samsung. The first 200 to purchase the Tab 10.1 will receive a free leather case, while the first 50 gain VIP access to a performance by Ne-Yo, the Grammy Award Winning hip-hop star. The performance takes place the same day; a perfect opportunity to flex the video and photo capture capabilities of the Tab 10.1. Who’s there?

 

Even More Droid Bionic Pictures Leave No Secrets: 4.5″ qHD Screen, New Blur, Android 2.3.4

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:44 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

The new-look Motorola DROID BIONIC has been making its rounds, dispelling any rumors that the phone might never come to pass and revealing what alterations we can expect when the handset eventually reaches Verizon’s shelves. After an initial batch of photos came online this morning, a slew of new shots has surfaced giving us an even better idea of what we are in for. As you can see compared to the Motorola Atrix 4G this phone is a behemoth.

A 4.5-inch qHD display will bring a new “3D” MotoBlur interface to our eyes, a version of Blur that will run on top of Android 2.3.4. We also get a peek at the Bionic’s new Droid Eye, which looks as menacing as ever. Motorola wasn’t kidding when they said they were revamping the Bionic we first saw at CES, and they have at least accomplished their goal for one Android blogger. I am officially excited about the Bionic after being slightly unimpressed during its initial showing.

[via DroidLife]

Samsung Delivers Galaxy S II to CyanogenMod Dev, Says Get to Work

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:17 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

If you had any bad words about Samsung’s relationship with the underground Android development scene, bite your tongue now. The handset manufacturer just delivered a brand new Samsung Galaxy S II to CyanogenMod developer AtinM with the express purpose of getting a version of their latest CM7 software up and running on Sammy’s latest flagship device. It seems to be part of the continuing ebb and flow of reactions to hacking and modding Android devices and software. Almost weekly we learn of a manufacturer either loosening or tightening their grip on locked-down smartphones. Major ups to Samsung for this one. As Atin says in his tweet, “you will not hear me bad-mouth Samsung again.”

[via Twitter | Thanks, Micah]

Sprint Wants You to “Be a 3D Star” and Win 1 of 10 HTC EVO 3D Handsets

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

Sprint is launching a new contest in promotion of the upcoming HTC EVO 3D The carrier is asking you to “Be a 3D Star” by uploading a picture of yourself to be superimposed over Present/Tense, a 3D short starring the latest EVO. Through June 12th, Sprint Premier customers can enter for the chance to win one of ten EVO 3D handsets plus a “bag of sweet EVO swag.” Check out the trailer below and enter to win over at Sprint’s website.


[Thanks, Matthew!]

iPhone-Like “Death Grip” Killing HTC Sensation Signal Strength?

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:33 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

Reports are surfacing that the beastly HTC Sensation might be suffering from the same sort of “death grip” issues that plagued the iPhone 4 at launch, a fatal flaw that sees signal strength crippled depending on how you hold the phone. The problem seems to lie in the Sensation’s unibody construction.  It feels great in hand and looks good at the same time, but it’s aluminum construction is interfering with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular signal. HTC created plastic inserts within the battery cover that house antennas to hopefully avoid the problem, but given a certain grip it appears an issue does exist.

The good news, as you will see in the video above, is that the actual “death grip” isn’t a grip at all, and actually is a rather uncommon way of holding your phone — flat on your palm from fingertips to wrist. We doubt too many people are holding their phones in such a manner on a regular basis, but if this is your preferred method of using your shiny new Sensation the only solution for now also takes a page from the iPhone’s book: a protective case should see the problem disappear.

[via MobileCrunch]

Motorola Atrix 4G Gets Custom ROM Support Thanks to 2nd-init

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:13 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

A victory for the Motorola Atrix 4G users itching to try out some custom software on their speedy dual-core handset. While the bootloader remains locked and custom kernels are still out of the question, XDA member and Android dev edgan ported the 2nd-init workaround first developed for the Motorola DEFY over to the Atrix. It’s still in beta and not of much use for anyone but developers right now, but the workaround loads prior to the Android system booting, allowing a custom ROM such as CyanogenMod 7 to be booted.

There is still much work to be done in getting the Atrix completely open and at the whim of all the Android modders out there, this is suitable fix for now, even if it doesn’t come with all the luxuries of a totally unlocked handset.

[XDA via BriefMobile | Thanks, Roze!]

Google Music Sees New Competitor in Apple’s iCloud

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 12:27 PM PDT

This image has no alt text

We all knew it was coming. Google beat Apple to the punch by unveiling their own cloud music service at their I/O developer conference in May, but just a month later Apple has formally introduced the world to iCloud. iCloud does more than just music, with documents, apps, and photos all covered by the internet-based hub. Google has solutions already in place to cover most of those bases, though not rolled into one service as we see with Apple’s new product.

But music is the big bullet point here, and Apple is striking back as only they could. Leveraging their already immense iTunes library, the need to sync music with the cloud is mostly unnecessary. iTunes can match tracks on their servers with those already in your library for streaming over the internet. Still, the ability to upload your own music is there. Another step up Apple has on Google is the ability to purchase music and have it instantly pushed to all of your devices. Google hoped to implement similar features but after talks with record labels fell through, the tech giant fell back on a more basic cloud storage model.

I hate to say it, but Google Music has some work to do if it hopes to catch up to iTunes in the Cloud. Sure, Apple may be busy stealing UI elements from Android, but their longstanding relations with music labels and large user base will challenge Google to top them. Google needs to continue to pursue the idea of creating their own online music store. Striking deals with record labels, as difficult as it might be, will be key in boosting Google Music beyond iCloud.

[via iSource]

ViewSonic Introduces $250 ViewBook 730

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:29 AM PDT

This image has no alt text

It’s no Honeycomb powerhouse, but ViewSonic has introduced the ViewBook 730, a 7-inch Android 2.2 tablet that will sell for $250. At that price, the 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 slate is sure to sell a few units when it hits shelves later this month. The LED backlit touchscreen display runs at a resolution of 800×480, and other specs include 8GB of internal storage expandable via microSD, USB and HDMI connectivity, and Bluetooth 2.1 support.

ViewSonic is aiming to hit a sweet spot that combines a well-polished Android experience with plenty of multimedia support at a cost that won’t break the bank. We get the sinking suspicion this one might become a favorite of hackers and modders based on the price alone.

[via CNET]

Apple Copies Android, Introduces Pull-Down Notifications in iOS 5

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 11:09 AM PDT

This image has no alt text

The Apple vs. Android battle is about to get a little more heated, as new elements introduced for iOS 5 at today’s WWDC do little but blatantly copy what Android has already perfected. Pull-down notifications will ship as part of Apple’s latest iOS, and guess what…they are almost identical to what we have had on Android phones for years. Apple’s “Notification Center” gathers all of the iPhone’s system notifications into a single location, one which can be dragged down from the top status bar of the iOS user interface. Sound familiar? Apple, of course, will try to package the new feature as if it is revolutionary and something altogether new. Wrong. But then again, isn’t imitation the most sincere form of flattery? It’s all good, while Apple struggles to implement new UI elements, Google is already looking forward to bigger and better things.

[via iSource, image via Engadget]

AT&T Drops Motorola Atrix 4G Price to $99, Laptop Dock to $299 [Deal Alert]

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 10:24 AM PDT

This image has no alt text

When the Motorola Atrix 4G first launched it was just about the only dual core handset available in the US, and though a few more have hit the scene in the months since the speedy AT&T smartphone is still a tempting option. It might just be a little more tempting now that AT&T has dropped the price to $99.99 on contract. We’ve seen the Atrix going for all sorts of crazy low prices through third-party retailers, but if I am not mistaken this is the lowest AT&T has offered the handset for. Better yet, you can grab the laptop dock and get your Webtop on for $299 (with a mail-in rebate the price settles to $199). That’s down from $399.

Those NVIDIA Tegra 2 guts really cook inside the Atrix. Anyone going to pick one up on this deal?

[via AT&T]

[Update: More Photos] Revised Motorola DROID Bionic (Motorola Targa) and Laptop Dock Spotted in the Wild?

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 07:35 AM PDT

This image has no alt text

We’ve seen the Motorola DROID BIONIC time and time again. Since January, in fact. But its apparent cancellation (or, at the least, delay) has us all giddy when new images and evidence of the device pop up. First, we saw that it might have gotten a chipset change from NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 to TI’s OMAP4 as it was spotted in a NenaMark benchmark test.

Now, new pictures show the Bionic with a bit of a different look on the back of the device, with the 8 megapixel camera with flash more prominent than ever before. The back now appears to be the same rubberized finish as before, but without any pattern on it.

If you don’t remember, this is exactly how the Targa looked when pictures of it first leaked – we do believe they’re the same. Original photos of the Targa sowed the device with a curved design near the top like the DROID X and X2, but it looks like that has been scrapped in these photos.

This story is still being told, but we have a pretty good idea of how it’ll end. Just bring it on already, Verizon. One more pic with it inside the laptop dock after the source link. [IT168 via AndroidForums.com]

[Update]: And here’s another image of the front from IT168. Looking pretty good from here, folks.

Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart Launching June 22nd?

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 07:09 AM PDT

This image has no alt text


T-Mobile officially outed the Samsung Exhibit 4G and the Samsung Gravity Smart last week, but we didn’t get an exact date to go along with all of that excitement. The good folks at TmoNews are able to shed some light on their release plans, though, as they’ve gotten their hands on evidence of a June 22nd launch for “all channels”. We can’t say we wouldn’t believe it as they have already confirmed it would be here this month, but we’re glad to get an idea of when exactly they’re bringing the goods.

The Exhibit 4G is more of a Galaxy S phone, specs-wise, as it has a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor inside, but it only has a 3 megapixel front camera and a 3.7 inch Super AMOLED display compared to the Vibrant’s 4 inch display and 5 megapixel camera. It’ll also come with Android 2.3, 4G radios, and a front-facing camera.

The Gravity Smart is a bit less overwhelming, but that’s not to say it’s underwhelming. It’ll have a 3.2-inch display, an 800MHz processor, Android 2.2 and a 3 megapixel camera, making this another mid-tier phone that has kept Samsung at the top of the smartphone charts for a while. It also has an included 4-row hardware QWERTY keyboard. The Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart can be had for $80 and $70, respectively. We just need to figure that date out.

Sprint Set to Get LG Optimus Slider?

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 05:58 AM PDT

This image has no alt text

Sprint just might be adopting a keyboard-enabled Optimus phone one “LG Optimus Slider” has shown up in a supposed inventory shot. We can’t make many assumptions about the Slider at this point, but the name is a dead giveaway of it having a keyboard. We imagine this thing won’t blow the socks off of you spec buffs, but if it’s as fast and as cheap as the LG Optimus One, we’re sure tons of new smartphone owners won’t be too mad about picking this one up. Just a rumor for now, folks. [Android Central]
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)