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Today's Google Earth announcement brought a couple of nice new features to the Google Maps suite. In addition to moving offline maps out of Labs, the company also pre-empted rumors of Apple-branded 3D map software with a demo of some stellar 3D maps that Google has been creating with high-tech camera planes. Yes, Google now has camera planes.
Google TV is one of those products that Google tends to forget about most of the year. Today, though, the platform is getting some love as Sony Google TV devices are getting a firmware update to version 2.1.1. Included in the update will be the ability play movies rented via Google Play (about time) as well as watching movies via youtube.com/movies.
One of the nicest things about Android that gets taken for granted is the ability to customize your user interface. While most folks tend to stick to app icons for launching their apps, Tagy offers an alternative approach: a tag cloud. Tagy is actually a set of widgets that let you specify a list of apps, contacts, or bookmarks to appear in a single widget. Then, as you use the widget, the items you use more often will get bigger.
It's never a bad day for a deal. Unless you're already on Verizon, I suppose. If you're not already part of Big Red's teeming masses, you can hop aboard the nation's largest carrier and grab a snazzy new Galaxy Nexus for your trouble from Amazon Wireless for just a penny. If you're already on Verizon and you're just looking to upgrade, the latest pure Google is available to you for $149.
So, Google just acquired Quickoffice, one of the leading distributors of productivity and office software for Android. The company, best known for being better than Docs or Microsoft Office on Android, has now been purchased by the search giant. Google says that the company will be working to bring Quickoffice's "record of enabling seamless interoperability with popular file formats" among other "powerful technology" to its Apps product suite.
Sony And HTC Are Partnering To Bring PlayStation Certification To HTC Devices
Sony And HTC Are Partnering To Bring PlayStation Certification To HTC Devices
Back in February, we heard that HTC might be getting PlayStation Certification on some of its phones. Today at E3, Sony announced that it will be opening up the PlayStation Mobile program, which was previously known as PlayStation Suite, to HTC. This means, among other things, that HTC phones that receive PS Certification will be able to play the host of classic PlayStation games available. Additionally, HTC devices will also have access to the third-party apps and games developed using the SDK.
If you own a Sony SmartWatch, you may want to ignore the impending update to the SmartWatch app on the Play Store right now. Some users are reporting that, after updating the required app, their watches are experiencing random reboots, notifications no longer working, and random disconnects. We've reached out to Sony for comment, but so far we've heard nothing back.
Nyko, best known for making the slightly less solid and slightly less expensive console controllers you buy to save money, is getting into the Android game. Literally. Working with mobile gaming force of nature, NVIDIA, the peripherals company aims to bring "physical and familiar controls" to tablet games that run on NVIDIA processors, including, but more importantly not limited to, the Tegra 3.
The last horse finally crosses the finish line, as AT&T announces that its version of the Galaxy S III will be available for pre-order on June 6th. The 16GB version of the device will be available for $199 with a two-year contract. The company is also boasting the option of a 16GB MicroSD card available in stores for $39 (which you can easily get elsewhere for much cheaper). This might mean that a 32 GB option is not available for AT&T yet. But you know what is? A red Galaxy S III.
That's right, AT&T is announcing exclusive access to a red Galaxy S III, "for red, white and blue color choices." The red version won't be available immediately. While AT&T isn't specifying when during the summer it will be released, one can only speculate it will arrive around a particular summer date that happens to be more friendly to red, white, and blue colors. Regardless, if the only way Samsung could make the Galaxy S III better in your eyes is to make it red, AT&T is your go-to network.June 6th is also the date that pre-orders start for Verizon, with the other carriers scattered throughout the month. So get your credit cards ready, America. The One X's archrival is landing on your shores this month, no matter what carrier you're on. And only a month or so after the initial announcement! Oh, how the times have changed.
HTC has given developers another treat today, in the form of kernel source code for the HTC One S. HTC's Dev Center has the downloads available, categorized by carrier and region. Unfortunately, the US variant on T-Mobile is conspicuously absent from the list. Previously, when HTC released the kernel source for the One X, the AT&T version was similarly missing and remains so to this day.
While the Galaxy S III has been one of the biggest device launches this year, the so-called pebble blue version of the device has seen some production problems, and shortages in shipments have made the darker version something of a rarity. Today, multiple Samsung reps we reached out to have confirmed that the pebble blue version will be on track for US arrivals with no delays and that, contrary to reports circling the web this morning, no changes have been made to its appearance.
Flexible displays are a great idea. Without flexible glass to go with it, though, some applications still remain difficult. Thankfully, Corning, the company behind Gorilla Glass (otherwise known as "the only type of glass you know by name"), has introduced a new flexible glass called Willow Glass. This new material is slim and strong, though we'd expect nothing less from Corning. The product will also allow manufacturers to pursue roll-to-roll processing which, if you're familiar with materials processing and manufacturing, you know is a very big deal. If you're not, here's the short version: it makes things cheaper.
We heard just recently that ViewSonic was launching a 22" tablet/display running Android. Today, we get a look at this display. We've also learned that it's running a dual-core TI-OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.0, and a 1920x1080 display underneath the gargantuan screen. The demo seems to be targeted at being used in a classroom setting, with plenty of child-friendly apps and videos, but that's just bundled software. The display, which starts at $479, could be used by any budget-conscious consumer that wants to try using Android instead of Windows as their primary OS for a shared family device.
Google announced today that it will be holding a special event on Wednesday, June 6th, regarding the future of Google Maps. Anyone who knows Google knows that these products are huge for the company, ranking right up there with Gmail and Android. More importantly, however, Google Maps is very important to Google's largest competitor: Apple. Which is why, when Google announces an event for one of its last major strongholds on iOS mere days before Apple's WWDC, we take notice.
Finally, after a bajillion years of waiting, the first Android tablet is finally getting its very own update to Android 4.0, finally. Finally. As some of you may recall, the WiFi model received an ICS update months ago, but the 3G/4G version, which has been plagued with problems since launch, including lack of advertised flash support and an actual 4G modem, is only just now set to get the OTA update.
Remember the days when your smartphone could last multiple full days without needing a charge? Haha, neither do we. But you could pretend it can if you have a portable charger. The New Trent iFuel 5000mAh charger is on sale today for $40, but with coupon code CONGRATS, you can get a second charger for free. Carrying around 10,000mAh of spare electricity for your gadgets has never been so cheap!
Gameloft, creator of great Android games you feel like you've seen before, is at it again with N.O.V.A. 3, the third (obviously) in the sci-fi FPS shooter series that follows Master Chief Kal Wardin as he fights off the Covenant Volterite armada. The game's description touts an epic storyline and, frankly, we'd expect nothing less from Bungee Gameloft.
Your smartphone can be a lot of things. One thing it should not ever be is a hammer. The guy in the video below disagrees with my opinion that the HTC One X is not, in fact, a hammer. As you can see, he has a serious nail problem and, as the saying goes, "When all you have is a nail, all your HTC One Xes look like hammers." Or something like that.
Internet video is the future. It's hard to argue that. The mobile landscape is chaotic, though, and figuring out which services have what shows or movies can be a complicated task. Viewdini, from Verizon, wants to be the digital age's TV Guide, aggregating show info, availability, reviews, and discovery into a single app. Search for the name of a show or movie and you'll get info about it, as well as where you can watch it.
It's been a long, hard, winding road to get here, but finally Sprint has announced via its forums that the Evo 4G LTE will finally arrive in Sprint stores Saturday, June 2nd. The phone will still retail for $199. Amusingly, the new launch date coincides almost perfectly with the original launch date of the Evo 4G, June 4th, 2010. Those of you who picked up the original Evo and are committed to the line will be able to celebrate your 2-year anniversary and contract expiration in style.