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Jan

Videosurf Will Bring Video Recognition To Your Cell Phone; "It's Like Shazam, But For Video."

Posted by Brad Ganley in Applications, Apps/Games, News, Videos

With all the mind-blowing news coming in from CES 2011, it's easy to forget that interesting and innovative things are coming from other sources at the same time. Here is one of those sources.

A new service somewhat reminiscent of Shazam and Sound Hound has surfaced on our radar, but with one major distinction: this app does videos. Using proprietary algorithms and software (read: magic), newcomer Videosurf will not only help you identify what T.V. show or movie you're watching, but what episode you're looking at, summaries, actors, actor information, and all kinds of information you didn't know you were missing out on right there on your cell phone.

Jan

Hulu Plus Confirmed For Android 2.2

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Applications, News

Having long been rumored, Hulu Plus for Android was finally confirmed during Samsung's press conference at CES. During the Keynote, Hulu's CEO Jason Kilar demoed the app running on the Samsung Galaxy S, announcing, for the first time, that the subscription service was being developed for Android.

Google and Hulu have not always seen eye-to-eye, so it was fortuitous that Samsung was able to mend the bridges and bring this amazing service to the Android platform.

Image courtesy of Gadgetsteria

According to Hulu's Blog, Hulu Plus will be available on select Android mobile phones (Android 2.2 and above) in coming months.

Jan

CES 2011: Hands-On With T-Mobile's Dual-Core HSPA+ Dell Streak 7 Android Tablet

Posted by Brian O'Toole in Dell, Devices By Manufacturer, News, Streak 7, Videos

At T-Mobile's press schmoozing session this evening, a few HSPA+ devices were available for the blogging masses to clench in their clammy hands. One in particular that we were keen to try was the Dell Streak 7, the new big brother of the original Dell Streak (Mini 5), announced earlier today. With the 7" tablet boasting a Tegra II dual-core processing unit, our interest was piqued, so we took a look in the video below:

As you can see, the performance fell short of the hype and anticipation that many of us felt with this CES's dual-core bonanza. It might be slightly hard to detect with the frame rate of the video recording, but scrolling still felt choppy despite the power contained within.

Jan

Huawei Ideos X5 HSPA+ Android Smartphone Officially Announced

Posted by Josh Cooter in Android OS, Huawei

Today, Huawei announced the Ideos X5, its latest addition to the smartphone line targeted at busy professionals whose focus is productivity and connectivity. The device boasts an ultra slim form factor, at just 11.4 millimeters thick, and ergonomic curves complemented by a brushed metal finish.

Other Specs:

3.8" 800x480 px TFT capacitive display
5MP camera with 720p HD video capturing capability, autofocus, and flash
HSPA+ compatible
WiFi 802.11n (most likely with b/g as well)
4GB onboard memory with expandable SD slot
Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, compass
1500 mAh battery

Huawei strives to provide constant connectivity with Facebook and Twitter applications as well as an office suite for business professionals, complete with Word and Excel for creation on-the-go.

Jan

CES 2011: Quick Hands-On With Verizon's Dual-Core 4G LTE Motorola Droid Bionic [Video]

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Bionic, News, Verizon Wireless, Videos

The 4th and final new device that I got to demo today at Verizon's 4G LTE event and the one I am personally most excited about was the Motorola Droid Bionic, announced yesterday. The reason I liked it so much was, of course, the fact that the other 3 phones that were introduced on Verizon - LG Revolution, Samsung i510, and HTC Thunderbolt - are all single core, while the Droid Bionic packs 2 cores in a really impressive package. Check it out:

Dual-core 1GHz processor
512MB RAM
4.3" qHD display (960x540 px)
8MP camera
1.3MP front-facing camera
4G LTE
Android 2.2 "Froyo" with the toned down version of Motoblur, similar to Droid X
1600 mAh battery
HDMI output capable of 1080P
Skype video calling
Google instead of Bing (finally)

The Droid Bionic should be arriving in Q2 of 2011.

Jan

CES 2011: Quick Hands-On With Verizon's LG Revolution: 4G LTE In A Semi-Stock 4.3" Package

Posted by Brian O'Toole in LG, News, Revolution, Verizon Wireless, Videos

At Verizon's 4G event today, we got some quick demo time with LG's initial LTE offering, the Revolution. Sporting a trendy 4.3" display, the device is obviously geared towards content creation and consumption. Not only does it include a 720P-capable 5 MP camera on the back, it also makes a mark with it a 1.3 MP front facing camera for video calls.

Unfortunately, it only has a single-core processor, clocking in at 1 GHz with 512 MB RAM alongside, but that shouldn't stop it from being a fairly decent performer all around. Best of all, the version of Froyo that LG has chosen to ship the Revolution with looks relatively uncontaminated, and with merely a tinted status bar here and altered icon there, the changes seem fairly forgivable in the near-mandatory custom UI sphere of Android lately.

Jan

CES 2011: Quick Hands-On With Verizon’s Samsung i510 – 4G LTE, 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus Display, And More [Video]

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Charge (i510), News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, Videos

Not impressed with the HTC Thunderbolt, the LG Revolution, or the Droid Bionic? Samsung might just have the perfect device for you.

Though we have yet to discover the device's name, we do have its model number - i510 - and (some of) its specs:

4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display
Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Samsung's TouchWiz UI
1 GHz Hummingbird processor
8MP rear camera
1.3MP front-facing camera
2GB internal storage
32GB microSD card slot out of the box

Artem also managed to get hands-on with the device at CES - check it out in the video below:

Press release:

Verizon Wireless And Samsung Mobile Announce Samsung’s First 4G LTE-Enabled Smartphone

Features Android 2.2 platform, Super AMOLED™ Plus Display, 1GHz Application Processor and Rear and Front-Facing Cameras

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — From the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) today announced that the Samsung 4G LTE smartphone will be available on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network.

Jan

CES 2011: Quick Hands-On With The (Now Official) HTC Thunderbolt: 4.3-Inch Display, Froyo, And LTE [Video]

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless, Videos

I'm slightly miffed that HTC doesn't seem to have a dual-core Android device in the works (at least for now), but the LTE-capable Thunderbolt still isn't anything to scoff at.

It features:

A 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
A 4.3-inch WVGA (800x480) display
An 8MP rear camera capable of recording 720p HD video
1.3MP front-facing camera
Android 2.2 Froyo with the new HTC Sense, as seen on the Desire HD and the Desire Z
32GB (!) microSD card slot out of the box
Integrated kickstand
Dolby and SRS surround sound audio
Skype mobile pre-installed (presumably the new version with video calling)
DLNA support
Mobile hotspot (presumably with a nice fat fee attached)
An LTE radio

Want more?

Jan

Pretend You're A Musician On The Go With Rock Band Mobile, Complete With Multiplayer

Posted by Brad Ganley in Apps/Games, Games, News, Verizon Wireless, Videos

Well, folks, the hits keep on coming from CES. Verizon, who seems to be dominating the Android portion of the conference, has just sent us word of its latest foray into the gaming world with Rock Band Mobile. For now, it is only available on Verizon LTE devices and allows you to play some of your favorite songs wirelessly with your friends. It also allows you to play all of your favorite instruments from the console version, including vocals, which will, arguably, be the most fun to do in a quiet waiting room. We've got a video and a press release for you so you can have all the fun details, too:

ROCK BAND™ COMING TO VERIZON WIRELESS’ 4G LTE MOBILE BROADBAND NETWORK

Popular Music Game, Designed for Android, will Bring Friends Together Over a Cellular Network for the First Time

LAS VEGAS and BASKING RIDGE, N.J.

Jan

Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Tab Sees An Upgrade: 1.2GHz Hummingbird Processor, LTE Radio, 5MP Camera

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Galaxy Tab, News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

With all the new tablets from players like Motorola, ASUS, and Acer, it goes without saying that Samsung was starting to feel a little jealous - and so, in partnership with Verizon, it decided to do something about the situation.

Namely, the company has released an upgraded Galaxy Tab, complete with a 1.2GHz Hummingbird processor (the original model only had a 1GHz unit), an upgraded rear camera (it's now 5MP as opposed to the previous generation's 3MP), and an LTE radio. For now, it's a Verizon exclusive, and we're still waiting to hear about the pricing and availability so, in the meantime, feast your eyes on the press release below.