Android and Me |
- Virtual Zippo Lighter makes its way to Android
- Microsoft tests WP7′s and Android’s browsers speed, we’re not surprised about the results
- HTC Sensation will be available from Three, Orange, O2, and T-Mobile in the UK
- Samsung Galaxy S II will launch in the next two weeks, followed by global domination
- Sprint’s Nexus S 4G gets closer to launch, up for pre-order at Best Buy
- Rumor: Motorola working on a tablet aimed at the enterprise
- Sony Ericsson keeps true to its promise, gives us bootloader unlock goodness
- T-Mobile G2 Gingerbread update expected to arrive this quarter
- Sprint lets you do carrier billing on Android Market purchases
- SONY Ericsson launches dedicated channel on the Android Market
| Virtual Zippo Lighter makes its way to Android Posted: 13 Apr 2011 06:29 PM PDT On today's episode of "Apps that probably could have been ported from iOS to Android months years ago," skyrockit has released their wildly-popular-on-iOS Virtual Zippo Lighter application onto the Android market. As the name suggests, the Virtual Zippo Lighter app is… a virtual zippo lighter. The application is very simple, you are presented with an on-screen Zippo lighter, and various swipe/flip motions control the lid, flame, and the like. Shaking your phone from side to side or blowing in the microphone will make the flame move from side to side in an attempt to mimic what a real lighter would do if you were doing the same gesture. The Virtual Zippo Lighter is one of the first applications to make use of in-app purchases. Users of the application can purchase any of 250 customized zippo skins for your virtual lighter for $0.99 each, though 28 free skins are included if you don't want to waste spend money on premium content. Unless you have a very compelling reason to have a Zippo lighter on your phone (and perhaps even if you do), I'd advise you to go ahead and skip this application. It feels buggy, the application is unnecessarily large at nearly 9mbs, and doesn’t really have much in the way of meaningful uses. That being said, this thing is insanely popular on iOS, so I could be way wrong here. If you absolutely have to have it, you can head over to the market and download the free app. Virtual Zippo Lighter requires Android 2.1 and above.
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| Microsoft tests WP7′s and Android’s browsers speed, we’re not surprised about the results Posted: 13 Apr 2011 03:28 PM PDT At Microsoft’s MIX conference this morning, the company took the opportunity to briefly make some comparisons between Windows Phone 7 and Android. One of them was browser performance, something Microsoft has been talking a lot about recently with the launch of IE9. Windows Phone VP Joe Belfiore, took a moment to test a Microsoft-built benchmark on a WP7 phone, the iPhone, and the Nexus S. Unsurprisingly, the WP7 phone bested both the iPhone and the Nexus S by a significant margin. Now, the simple fact that Microsoft made this benchmark should raise a big, red flag. The company doesn’t exactly have the best reputation in terms of honesty. I’ll believe Microsoft’s claims once I see WP7 beating Android in an independent, impartial, third-party benchmark. Until then, this is just part of the “war of words” Microsoft and Google are having right now. What do you guys think? Is something fishy going on?
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| HTC Sensation will be available from Three, Orange, O2, and T-Mobile in the UK Posted: 13 Apr 2011 02:36 PM PDT Not wanting to let Vodafone UK steal the show with the HTC Sensation; Three, Orange, O2, and T-Mobile all took the opportunity to let us know that they too will get the very anticipated phone. Both Orange and T-Mobile tweeted that they’ll get the phone in June, as soon as the 1-month exclusivity with Vodafone UK expires. O2 and Three both confirmed the arrival of the Sensation but stayed away from giving us an estimated launch date. Is any loyal reader across the pond already saving money to get this beauty in the summer? If you need some convincing you can always count on HTC’s promo videos.
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| Samsung Galaxy S II will launch in the next two weeks, followed by global domination Posted: 13 Apr 2011 02:04 PM PDT Apparently, many people have been asking Samsung about the Galaxy S II. Today, the electronics giant got back to its fans through its Facebook page with a somewhat accurate launch date.
In other words, you can expect the Galaxy S II to officially launch in the next two weeks. Once the phone it’s launched, Samsung will begin the roll-out to different markets. We can probably expect the Galaxy S II to be available for every single carrier, like its popular predecessor is. Here’s a list of the Galaxy S II’s specifications to refresh your memory:
Looking at the specs on this phone, I have no doubt this phone will turn into another huge success for Samsung. Kudos, Sammy.
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| Sprint’s Nexus S 4G gets closer to launch, up for pre-order at Best Buy Posted: 13 Apr 2011 01:20 PM PDT Do you like Android in its purest form and surfing the web at 4G speeds? Then the Nexus S 4G from Sprint is what you’re looking for. The phone got one step closer to launch today, with Best Buy launching a pre-order page where you can save one of these “Google phones” for yourself. The Nexus S 4G is $100 more than its T-Mobile cousin, coming in at $199.99 — I guess that’s the price you pay for “4G”. Side note: whatever happened to that free, ad-supported Nexus phone? You can expect the phones to start shipping out between April 18th and April 21st, also known as next week. Any of you guys getting this lovely phone next week?
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| Rumor: Motorola working on a tablet aimed at the enterprise Posted: 13 Apr 2011 12:09 PM PDT Engadget is reporting that Motorola is hard at work (pun so intended) on a tablet for the enterprise. Motorola plans to build the “first physical embodiment defining Android for the Enterprise”. It seems the tablet will launch with Gingerbread and it’ll enter the beta-testing phase this October. I understand this product won’t be aimed at the average consumer but launching a tablet running Gingerbread almost a year from now is like announcing a phone running Eclair — makes no sense. Anyhow, the tablet will feature:
So, even though this is not aimed at us Android enthusiasts, do you see yourself buying this tablet?
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| Sony Ericsson keeps true to its promise, gives us bootloader unlock goodness Posted: 13 Apr 2011 11:40 AM PDT A few days ago we heard that Sony Ericsson was going to provide us with a way to unlock our Xperia phones. Well, the company just posted on its website how to do just that. But hold on a minute eager Xperia X10 user, I’m sad to inform you your phone is not supported. Yep, this unlock method only works with 2011 Xperia models like the Xperia Play and Arc. Also, even you own a 2011 Xperia phone it needs to be SIM unlocked — that about leaves out everybody in the U.S. If you’re one of the two people who fit these parameters, you can go ahead and visit Sony Ericsson’s website. After a brief spiel about how unlocking your phone could damage it, avoid the warranty, and kill unicorns, you should be able to get to unlocked paradise with ease. We have to give huge props to Sony Ericsson for taking the initiative, in a world where most OEMS are going in the opposite direction (cough cough Motorola).
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| T-Mobile G2 Gingerbread update expected to arrive this quarter Posted: 13 Apr 2011 10:05 AM PDT The T-Mobile G2 and the HTC Desire Z are nearly identical twins on the outside, but their software builds are what truly separates these two HTC handsets. We've heard that HTC has plans to update the HTC Desire Z (leaked HTC Desire Z Android 2.3.3 build) and other members of the Desire family to Gingerbread within the next month or two, but now we finally have confirmation that the T-Mobile G2 will be updated as well. An HTC rep has confirmed that a Gingerbread update for the G2 will be made available during Q2. It's certainly nice to receive an official confirmation, but a more precise date would have been even better. Many G2 owners purchased the handset because it runs on a nearly stock version of Android. The hope was that G2 owners would receive Android update faster since T-Mobile and HTC wouldn't need to do much code tweaking to get Gingerbread ready for the G2. Since G2 owners have already been waiting nearly five months, this should finally prove that owning a stock Android handset doesn't guarantee timely firmware updates. Are any of you G2 owners excited for the Gingerbread update? I have a feeling that most G2 owners rooter their phone long ago and have been tinkering with CyanogenMod or a few of the HTC Sense ROMs for quite some time.
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| Sprint lets you do carrier billing on Android Market purchases Posted: 13 Apr 2011 09:28 AM PDT This morning is full of Android Market goodness. Earlier, we found out that Sony Ericsson launched its own Android Market channel, and now, joining T-Mobile and AT&T, Sprint is giving customers the ability to charge apps to their monthly bill (What is going on, Verizon?). Sprint started rolling out this feature on April 7, and should be done by the 14th. If you still haven’t received it, you should be getting it by tomorrow (except for HTC Hero and Samsung Moment users, who will not be given this treat). Worried parents, or those who simply would not like this option, can opt out of this feature, and Corporate Liable customers will actually be systematically opted out. It will take as little as a visit to Sprint.com, or a call to Customer Care, to change your "opt in/out" status, so there should be nothing to worry about if this is something inconvenient for you. Those that decide not to take part on this will still be presented with the option upon purchasing an app, but the transaction will not go through successfully. Well, if you are on Sprint, hopefully this has rolled out to your device, as it is definitely a very convenient option to have! Those that have received it, please let us know what you think of it. Is anyone opting out?
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| SONY Ericsson launches dedicated channel on the Android Market Posted: 13 Apr 2011 07:11 AM PDT In an effort to enhance the Android Market experience for their customer, SONY Ericsson has just launched their own channel within the market. Customized channels within the Android Market are nothing new. We've seen T-Mobile, Sprint, and a handful of carriers roll out their own Android Market channels over the past year, but SONY Ericsson is the first manufacturer to do so. The SONY Ericsson channel will replace the "My Apps" button at the top of the screen when you first access the Android Market. SE handset users will still have access to My Apps by pressing the menu button on their handset. SONY Ericsson's current plan is to use their app channel to offer plugins and enhancements to Timescape as well as feature exclusive games and application that are only available to SE customers. Now that SONY Ericsson has their own channel within the Android Market, it shouldn't be too long before other manufacturers push Google to get a channel of their own. Options like the HTC Hub are nice, but it would certainly be more convenient for consumers if they could manage all their download needs all in one spot. What do you think? Are manufacturer specific channels a good idea for the end user or is it simply another way for handset makers to assert more control over their devices? Update: As a few of you have pointed out in the comments, it looks like HTC actually beat SONY Ericsson on this one. The HTC Desire S features an HTC channel on the Android Market. We’re waiting to her back from HTC as to what their strategy will be with their market channel. Thanks guys!
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