Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Nov

Ubuntu Hacked Onto Samsung Galaxy Tab

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Development, Galaxy Tab, News

As the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way - and there's always a will among the guys (and gals) at XDA-Devs. This time around, it's booting Ubuntu on the Samsung Galaxy Tab; unfortunately, though, it's not without a fair number of kinks at this point.

XDA member dviera88 discovered that the method used to boot Ubuntu on the Epic 4G also works on the Galaxy Tab (unsurprising, given just how similar the two are). He's provided a nearly 13-minute video detailing how to get it up and running and providing a quick usage demonstration. Heads-up, though: it's shot on his Epic 4G, so the video isn't great.

Nov

Qualcomm Unveils 2011 Dual Core Snapdragons: 5x CPU Performance, 1/4 Power Consumption, GPU Rivaling PS3/XBOX 360

Posted by Nate Kimmey in News

Despite all this talk about upcoming phones and tablets running on the Tegra 2 processor, you may want to stop and consider the new offering in the Snapdragon line of processors from Qualcomm. Taking a 28-nm dual core beast (MSM8960), the company promises speeds up to five times their current offerings, as well as 75% less lower power usage.

But the real shocker here is the updated GPU, which Qualcomm claims is capable of delivering gaming performance equal to the of an Xbox 360 or PS3.

We should certainly wait for some real life tests and comparisons to Tegra 2 before really hyping this up, but still: can you imagine the PSP phone launching with these capabilities?

Nov

NEC, Casio, And Hitachi To Jump Into The Android Game Next Year

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in News

NEC, Casio, And Hitachi, known as NEC Casio Mobile Communications since their merger in 2009, have been pretty quiet about their Android plans so far. However, after seeing Panasonic take the plunge yesterday and announce its plans to enter the Android market in 2011, NEC Casio couldn't hold it anymore and spilled the beans today.

According to Keitai Watch, the company plans to begin selling Android devices starting with Japan in 2011, and the rest of the world in 2012. Out of the 12 million projected worldwide device sales, 50% or so would be smartphones, and 40% of them would be outside Japan.

Nov

HTC Releases Source Code For T-Mobile G2, myTouch 4G, And Droid Incredible Kernels

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Froyo 2.2, G2 (Vision), HTC, Incredible, myTouch 4G (Glacier), T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless

It's always nice when a manufacturer is nice enough to allow the community to see the source code used to keep device kernels ticking, particularly as this source code can help with troubleshooting and ROM development. They are, to a certain extent, required to do this by the GPLv2 license, but it's still pretty great for all you XDA junkies. Well, if you guys were lusting after the latest source code for the kernels of the T-Mobile G2, the myTouch 4G, or Verizon's Droid Incredible, you can finally stop lurking around, for HTC has, at long last, made the code for these handsets available.

Nov

LG Vortex Now Available: $79.99 From Verizon, Free From Wirefly

Posted by Nate Kimmey in News, Verizon Wireless, Vortex

Last Updated: November 19th, 2010

Specs

The LG Optimus One, the latest Android phone to hit all four national carriers (though AT&T has yet to announce its version), has finally launched on Big Red as the Vortex. Before deciding if this entry-level phone is right for you, be sure to take a look at the specs:

Android 2.2 with custom LG launcher and widgets
3.2-inch 320x480 (HVGA) screen
3.2MP camera
600 MHz processor
WiFi 802.11 b/g
170MB internal memory
1500 mAh battery

Deals

If you're planning on buying the phone directly from Verizon, you may want to re-consider, as it will cost you $79.99 with a new two-year contract.

Nov

Ready For Black Friday? Verizon Discounting Plans, US Cellular Offering Cheap Phones Galore

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in News, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless

Now that everyone and their cousin's friend are preparing for Thanksgiving and the national shopping day that follows (Black Friday), we're starting to see some great deals popping up, especially from carriers looking to sway over new customers.

One such carrier, US Cellular, announced today that it will be offering "door-busting" bargains on all four of its Android phones in celebration of Black Friday, beginning November 22 and ending on the 29th. Their deals aren't really mind-blowing in comparison with some of Wirefly's recent deals, but they're quite a bit cheaper than US Cellular's regular prices:

Samsung Mesmerize - $99.99 after an $80 mail-in-rebate
HTC Desire (see our review here) - $49.99 after an $80 mail-in-rebate
LG Apex - $0.00 after an $80 mail-in-rebate
Samsung Acclaim - $0.00 after an $80 mail-in-rebate

In related news, Verizon Wireless will be rewarding customers who add a new 3G smartphone to their existing plans by subtracting $9.99 from their monthly bill, the same cost as adding a line.

Nov

Remember The Milk Updated To v1.4, Adds Push Syncing Support

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

Remember The Milk is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful task management solutions on the market, and its Android app is pure awesomeness. It is extremely polished, and I rely on it reminding me about my tasks, including various Android Police business, every day.

One feature that the RTM app has been lacking is push syncing support, instead making us select a potentially battery-killing polling interval (mine was set to every hour). As I've found out from my own observations, frequent sync is really devastating to the battery life, and should be avoided as much as possible. To address that, today that the company released an update version 1.4 of the Android client, codenamed "Rachael," which introduced what they've described as the "magical push syncing awesomeness," among other things.

Nov

Best Buy Takes Over And Peels Off The Yahoo Homepage In A Holiday Campaign, EVO 4G Leading The Pack

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in EVO 4G (Supersonic), News, Off-Topic

Here I was, innocently browsing the Yahoo homepage today (I use it as a random site to test my tethered connection), minding my own business. Imagine my surprise when the main navigation column suddenly started peeling off to reveal a so-dear-to-my-heart EVO 4G. Continuing to watch this technique, I observed a flat screen TV and a Blu-ray player before finally seeing the perpetrator on the right - Best Buy. While I'm not usually a fan of Flash ads, this one amused me and reminded me of the upcoming holidays with all the presents that still needed to be bought. Have you gotten your holiday presents ready yet, like that EVO 4G?

Nov

Motorola Droid Pro Now Available From Verizon For $179.99, Amazon For $150, Wirefly For Only $50

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Droid Pro, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

The Motorola Droid Pro, Android's first real answer to Blackberry candybar style phones with a full QWERTY keyboard, is now available across the web and in VZW's retail stores.

You can view our unboxing and first impressions of the Droid Pro over here or skip over to the specs to help you make your decision:

CDMA/GSM/UMTS bands
HVGA 320×480 3.1" capacitive display with medium pixel density (160dpi)
TI OMAP 3620 1GHz CPU
512 MB RAM
2GB ROM
1GB built-in storage
5MP dual LED flash with auto focus
802.11 b/g/n WiFi
candybar form factor with a full QWERTY keyboard
Android 2.2
1420 mAh battery

Get Your Hands On One

VZW

If you want to buy the Pro directly from Verizon Wireless, you're going to be faced with $280 + taxes - a $100 mail-in rebate, which, in my opinion, is a very sub-par option.

Nov

Samsung Canada Announces Galaxy S Froyo Upgrade Timelines

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Bell, Captivate, Fascinate, Galaxy S, News, Rogers, Samsung, TELUS, Vibrant

Samsung, which has been under fire from consumers for repeatedly delaying Android 2.2. updates on their Galaxy S line of phones, recently posted an announcement for its Canadian customers on Bell, TELUS, and Rogers. In the announcement, Samsung apologized for delaying the long-awaited update and cited rigorous testing as the current stage of the rollout process.

Now, keeping in mind that these are just estimates, have a look at the upgrade timelines for your Canadian Galaxy S device:

Vibrant from Bell and Captivate from Rogers will be up first in the middle of December
Fascinate from TELUS will not get upgraded until all the way to the beginning of 2011

It's quite sad that Gingerbread, the Android version following Froyo, will be released long before Froyo itself makes it to the biggest flagship device series Samsung offers and long after their European and Korean counterparts.