June 2010 Archives

Jun

Carrier Billing For Android Applications Without Google

Posted by Andrew Huff in Apps/Games, News

As a developer myself, one issue with the Android market has always been the payment methods…or rather, the lack thereof. Aside from Google Checkout and carrier billing for some companies within the US, there really aren’t a whole lot of options to consider, especially when dealing with the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement.

Well, as with all things in the world of technology, a company seems to have found a bit of a loophole in regards to carrier billing for developers, or more specifically, integrating it into their applications and games. This has a lot of implications, including a big one: countries without access to paid apps and games on the Android market could still purchase them through free demos released by the developer.

Jun

Forget Using Your HTC EVO 4G's Screen As A Flashlight - Use Its Blinding Dual LED Flash Instead - Also Works With HTC Desire

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, EVO 4G (Supersonic), HTC, Tips

Last Updated: June 6th, 2010

The EVO 4G, which is coming out in only 2 days on June 4th, comes with a pretty decent 8MP camera. One of the best things about the camera is that it in turn comes with a shockingly bright for a cell phone dual LED flash. Here it is:

Wouldn't it be perfect if you could use these LEDs on demand, turning the EVO into a bright flashlight? You can do that with some other phones, and EVO's little sister HTC HD2, which has essentially the same body but runs WinMo, even includes a native app to do so.

Jun

Android Updates Will Slow To Once A Year, According To Andy Rubin

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in Android OS, Cupcake 1.5, Donut 1.6, Froyo 2.2, Gingerbread 2.3, News

We’re all aware that Android has been taking some flack for ‘fragmentation’ problems, and one of the more prominent contributing factors has been the breakneck pace of the update release cycle.

According to Android chief Andy Rubin, we can expect this cycle to slow down a bit to an Apple style release schedule of one update per year. I’m sure this comes as a huge relief to device manufacturers, especially those who have custom skinned versions of Android, as they’ll now have more time to prep updates before the next one hits. For example, HTC and Sprint just released the official 2.1 update for the Sprint Hero as Android 2.2 is very much around the corner.

Jun

Google Update Platform Versions Chart, Call Fragmentation A ‘Bogeyman’

Posted by Chris Dehghanpoor in Android OS, Devices By Manufacturer, News

Yesterday, Google Open Source & Compatibility Program Manager Dan Morrill (his business cards have to be 10 feet long to fit that title) wrote a pretty interesting blog post over at the Android Developers blog, where he called the idea of fragmentation a ‘bogeyman’.

He tries to diffuse a lot of the controversy that the idea of Android fragmentation has stirred up – indeed, it’s probably the biggest argument used against Android by its detractors.

He doesn’t directly address the fact that there are still a lot of devices in the wild that are running legacy versions of the operating system, and are unable to take advantage of some of the new APIs the newer versions have introduced, but instead implies that it doesn’t necessarily matter anyways.

Jun

Samsung Galaxy S Launching Simultaneously In 110 Countries

Posted by John Thompson in Devices By Manufacturer, Galaxy S, News, Samsung

With the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S just around the corner, Korea IT Times are reporting that Samsung plan to release the device at the same time in 110 countries around the world.

If reports of an Asian release date in June are accurate, this probably means that you’ll be able to get your hands on the Galaxy S in the next few weeks, regardless of whereabouts in the world you are.

This certainly comes as a surprise, following claims from Verizon’s CEO, Lowell McAdam, that Samsung can’t manufacturer enough AMOLED displays to support demand for the Droid Incredible.

galaxy s

Launching the Galaxy S, which uses the same AMOLED display, in 110 countries at the same time certainly goes some way to discrediting those claims, and is undoubtedly a publicity stunt to show that production of AMOLED displays is just fine.

Jun

A First Look At The MSI WindPad 110 Android Tablet

Posted by John Thompson in Devices By Manufacturer, News

There’s no doubt that 2010 is the year of the tablet, with manufacturers promptly following suit after the release of the iPad. With Computex getting into full swing, there’s no shortage of tablets on the showroom floor, with many of them running Android.

One such tablet is the MSI WindPad 110, which, according to Engadget, is running Android 2.1. Sporting a 10-inch touch screen interface, the WindPad 110 has a glossy, black exterior and is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 chip, as opposed to many tablets which are running Intel’s Atom processor.

In addition to the capacitive touchscreen, the WindPad 110 also comes with a USB port for peripheral access, and video-out capability, allowing you to view your photos and videos on the big screen.