Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Android Phone Fans

Android Phone Fans

Things We Missed, You Shouldn’t [March 2nd]

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 04:03 PM PST

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Although the iPad 2 was released today, there was more than enough Android to go around. Along with everything you’ve seen on our front page, these are some of the things going on in other parts of the universe. Take a look-see below.

HTC Merge for Verizon User Manual Hits the FCC

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 03:41 PM PST

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We’ve seen this thing hit the FCC before, but now they’ve updated the HTC Merge’s listing with a user manual for the device. There won’t be many surprises to be found here unless you thought this thing was going to launch with 4G radios. Many believed that to be the case after its initial reported delay, but we had nothing to go on but unconfirmed rumors. Dive into the manual over at the FCC’s website if you’re interested. [Droid-Life]

Havok Engine Shown Off on Xperia Play [Video]

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 03:20 PM PST

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Havok – if you don’t know – is a popular game engine used by hundreds of studios for thousands of titles on console, PC, handhelds, and more. They’ve teamed up with the folks at Sony Ericsson to bring it to their Xperia Play and have demoed it on video. They show ragdoll physics, their destruction engine, and their behavior engine. Simply put: games for this phone will be awesome. Go ahead and watch the video above to get an idea of what you’ll be playing pretty soon. [via UberGizmo]

Sprint Has a “Plan B” if Clearwire Deal Isn’t Made

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 02:10 PM PST

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Dan Hesse – speaking in an interview today – stated that talks with Clearwire are still going on and that they are nearing a deal. Sprint and Clearwire have been disputing over the charges the latter party has been imposing for providing the former with a 4G network.

The lack of an agreement has forced Sprint to go to such extremes as charging 3G phone users the same $10 data premium that only 4G device users were previously subject to. Many of Sprint’s customers are still without 4G as a result of the two sides’ dispute, so it’s believed Sprint included 3G subscribers to prevent a class action lawsuit.

We heard before that Sprint may be forced to switch to LTE once they’re forced out of their current spectrum being used for 4G. Their new spectrum would only support LTE. Murmurs also surfaced saying they were in talks with LightSquared, the company who would be freeing up that new spectrum currently used by satellites specifically for LTE.

CEO Dan Hesse reportedly said that “Our Plan A is together with Clearwire, but we do have a Plan B. If we don’t reach agreement, we will go and do our own thing.” That quote all but confirms Sprint is talking with SOMEONE to make sure they have a road to travel on going forward, whether Clearwire’s on the wagon or not.

What do you guys want to happen? Do you want Sprint to try and settle things with Clearwire or are you hoping that these negotiations take a wrong turn down 4G lane? [Wall Street Journal]

HTC Wildfire S System Dump Now Available

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 01:31 PM PST

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I know many of you are eager to get your hands on a Sense ROM from the latest crop of HTC phones. The HTC Wildfire S – while not the most exciting phone in the lineup introduced at MWC – has Android 2.3.2 and the latest version of Sense – 2.1. That brings with it a slight style changes and a few new features tucked away in the notification pane and the app tray. Dig into it here. [Android Central]

Sidekick Converts to Get 50% off When Switching to Select Samsung Handsets, Sidekick 4G Release Window Revealed

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 12:33 PM PST

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Following the news that Danger’s service would be shut down – effectively killing off the Sidekick as we know it – word has leaked of the deals T-Mobile plans to give to Sidekick owners. Firstly, early cancellation fees will be waived for those who own a Sidekick and request it. It’s only the right thing to do as they’re forcing those customers out of something they signed up for.

And for those who opt to stick with the carrier and upgrade to a new device, they’ve stated that select Samsung handsets will be offered for 50% less than what they normally go for until April 5th. (Subscribers may be subject to a mail-in rebate card, though.)

In the letter, they state that the new Android-based Sidekick (4G) will be available this Spring and they urge current Sidekick owners to keep an eye out for it. Putting two and two together, I’d say we’re going to be seeing this thing April 5th or earlier. [TmoNews]

XDA Brews Up Patch for Latest Wave of Malware

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 12:00 PM PST

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This malware thing is really starting to get annoying. Thankfully, the good folks at XDA feel the same way and they’ve cooked up a quick patch for all Android 2.2 and lower devices. The patch is reportedly the same one Google baked into Gingerbread and the one that OEMs and carriers may have included in recent security updates.

What it does exactly wasn’t said, but the end-result is supposed to protect you from the massive list of deceitful applications that carry the trojan. Some of those include applications from the following list:

* Falling Down
* Super Guitar Solo
* Super History Eraser
* Photo Editor
* Super Ringtone Maker
* Super Sex Positions
* Hot Sexy Videos
* Chess
* 下坠滚球_Falldown
* Hilton Sex Sound
* Screaming Sexy Japanese Girls
* Falling Ball Dodge
* Scientific Calculator
* Dice Roller
* 躲避弹球
* Advanced Currency Converter
* App Uninstaller
* 几何战机_PewPew
* Funny Paint
* Spider Man
* 蜘蛛侠

All of these applications are from myournet

I imagine this is only for rooted users, though, as the patch is issued in the form of a .zip file and is to be flashed through your device’s recovery. Get more information and all the goods you’ll need over at XDA’s forums now. [Thanks Kelmar!]

Newly Announced iPad 2 Compared to Motorola XOOM, LG Optimus Pad, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 11:40 AM PST

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There you have it, folks. Apple has just announced the iPad 2, the successor to the portable device that paved the way for all slates to follow. There is no denying the original is the very reason we have highly advanced devices like the newly released Motorola XOOM and upcoming LG Optimus Pad and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Steve Jobs called them out as copy cats), but how does the second iteration stack up to these evolved Android big boys?

Android manufacturers were able to leap frog the iPad in terms of hardware with the introduction of dual core NVIDIA processors and the inclusion of not one, but two cameras, a feature Apple was chastised for leaving off the first iPad. Not the type to be left behind, Apple has fired back with two cameras of their own and a little bit of extra umph under the hood with a dual core A5 chip of their own. Always staying ahead of the curve, Apple has slimmed down the iPad and updated iOS to version 4.3. The full specs can be found in the above chart alongside the same for three of today’s hottest Honeycomb tablets (click to see the larger version).

So how do you think the new iPad stacks up to the latest and greatest Honeycomb tablets? Do they still hold their own or will Apple continue to lead the way in the tablet market?

Sprint Indeed Making a Splash at CTIA

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 11:40 AM PST

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Sprint teased us about a new device coming at a magic-filled event just before Mobile World Congress, but that (the Kyocera Echo) didn’t seem to impress the bunch of you. They then took to Twitter shortly after Mobile World Congress to tease us about a new device, but that ended up being a Windows Phone 7 affair. Just as they did last year, though, Sprint’s looking to wait until CTIA to bring the goods. We can assume it’s Android-related, too, otherwise we probably wouldn’t have been invited to this event they’re holding. Things kick off March 22nd a bit after noon so be sure to mark your calendar as we’ll be on-hand to provide coverage.

How to Manually Enable Sideloading to Install Third-Party Apps on the Motorola Atrix 4G

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 11:33 AM PST

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As is common between all AT&T Android handsets, sideloading applications has become a distant dream. There have been workarounds, of course, but they’ve always required some sort of third party utility that requires the use of a PC every time you need to install a .apk file. (This can be inconvenient if you’re on the go and someone has sent you a .APK file via email.)

The folks at XDA have figured out a way to get the functionality enabled on the Motorola Atrix 4G though. You’ll need to know your way around a command line, and if you’re on Windows you’ll need to download sqlite.

After you get through all of that, though, you’ll be able to sideload applications just like the rest of us are able to. It wasn’t said if rooting your device would be a requirement, but we’ll just go ahead and assume it is until we can scrape together some more information about the process. Check it out for yourself over at XDA. [TalkAndroid]

Trillian for Android Update Introduces Continuous Chat Feature [Video]

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 10:54 AM PST

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Trillian has long been one of the best multi-protocol instant messaging clients for personal computers – a personal favorite of mine for a while, actually – so you can imagine my excitement when I heard they were heading for an Android version of their application.

That’s not the story here, though. (I know how many of you are just dying to hear my personal raves. Mi apologias.) They’ve updated Trillian for Android to build 30 that adds a suite of features called “Continuous Chat”.

Continuous Chat is aiming to blur your chatting experience when going from the PC to the smartphone so that your conversations are never interrupted. (Pretty much how Google Talk on the desktop version of Gmail and on Android seem to do things. The difference is that they’ve done a lot of cool things to ensure this will work right no matter what. I think it’s best to let Trillian themselves describe it to you:

  • Trillian shares chats between all devices in realtime. Hop off the home computer and continue chatting on the couch via the family iPad. Seamlessly switch between your mobile phone and work computer throughout your work day.
  • Trillian supports optional cloud-based storage of chats. A crashed hard drive won’t take years of chatting history with it, and new devices are instantly initialized and up-to-date with your chat history - even mobile phones!
  • Trillian uses presence technology to know where you’re active and makes notification decisions accordingly. For example, stay on Trillian for Android all day at work and you’ll receive no C2DM notifications, buzzes, or sounds because you’re active on your desktop.
  • Trillian works out-of-the-box on all major IM services that support multiple points of presence, regardless of their particular nuances. For example, some services send messages to devices marked ‘online’ and not ‘away’, and others target messages to individual devices. The result can mean fragmented or one-sided conversations depending on the device. Trillian deals with all of this for you and keeps your chat windows tidy and sane.
  • Trillian keeps track of read and unread messages, so your desktop isn’t blinking when you return to it after a day of chatting on your mobile. Even cooler, if you walk away from your desktop and someone starts messaging you, your iPhone will update its badge count as soon as it realizes your desktop was left idle with N unread messages.

[Trillian, Android market]

PhanCast 34: LIVE at 2PM Eastern

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 09:21 AM PST

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We’re back from Barcelona and gearing up for Orlando, but finally we’re getting back into podcast mode. PhanCast 34 gets underway at 2PM Eastern and as usual we’ll be talking all about Android’s lateset happenings and occurences.

Tune in live at 2PM EST over at BlogTalkRadio or via the player below.

PC World Updates UK Motorola XOOM WiFi Pricing: £499.99

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 09:10 AM PST

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Just yesterday we reported on a PC World pricing and pre-order for the Motorola XOOM WiFi. Soon after the price of 449.99 GBP was first reported, PC World pulled down their pre-order page leaving many to wonder if the price tag would stick. It didn’t, and it only went up. The pre-order page is live once again, this time reporting the price as 499.99 GBP. This equates to roughly $815, or slightly more expensive than the 3G version off-contract from Verizon in the States. Kind of a bummer.

But UK fellows can still pre-order the tablet if they would like. It should be available in April. Source link has all the info.

[via PC World | Thanks, Samarth!]

Mobile Editing for Google Docs Expands Support to 45 Languages

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 08:58 AM PST

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Fans if Google Docs speaking a language other than English have been limited in their ability to edit documents on the go. Since launching in November, it was the sole language supported. Not so anymore, as support has been expanded to include 44 additional languages from Arabic to Vietnamese.

You will still need Android 2.2 or higher to access mobile editing. To do so simply visit docs.google.com on your handset, select a document, and switch from view to edit mode.

[via Google]

Asus Eee Pad Tablets Finally Shown with Android 3.0 Honeycomb

Posted: 02 Mar 2011 07:54 AM PST

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When Asus unveiled their new lineup of Android tablets back at CES, the promise was they would run Android 3.0 at launch. The problem was they weren’t running Android 3.0 at CES. They weren’t running Android 3.0 at MWC either. But at CeBIT it was a different story. Android 3.0 Honeycomb was running in a somewhat functional build on the Eee Pad line of tablets.

We say somewhat functional because a report over at ZDNet is indicating that the transforming capabilities of the Eee Pad Transformer weren’t working with the new release of Android. Asus reps explained this was due to the very early nature of the build on the device.

Still good to see Asus plans to stick to their word and have Honeycomb on these tablets by the time they start rolling out this spring.

[via ZDNet]
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