19
Sep
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Wi-Fi Alliance Launches Miracast Certification Program – Samsung Galaxy SIII And LG Optimus G Among Devices Already Certified

Posted by in Android OS, Galaxy S III, News, Optimus G

Wi-Fi Alliance, the go-to association for certification of wireless LAN technologies, today announced the launch of its Miracast certification program.

For those unaware, Miracast is a new wireless display technology that allows users to "transmit" or stream video or other media content from one device to another quickly, easily, and wirelessly using Wi-Fi Direct. The technology essentially offers a mirrored display experience with low latency and responsiveness that's just what you'd hope for.

A major benefit of Miracast is that it is expected to become a standard used across a wide range of products from an even wider range of manufacturers.

15
May
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Google Is Reportedly Planning A Renewed And Expanded Nexus Device Assault This Fall, And This Is Why I Love It

Posted by in Android OS, Carriers, Editorials, Google, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, Jelly Bean 4.1, News, Rumors

This is the sort of quasi-rumor (it's fairly detailed and comes from the Wall Street Journal, so we're inclined to trust it) that makes me happy to be an Android fan.

According to the WSJ, Google is in cahoots with up to five device manufacturers to provide early access to the next iteration of the Android OS (Jelly Bean, we assume) so it can have an entire "portfolio" of Nexus devices ready by Thanksgiving - that's late November for those without turkey day. It will then sell said devices, phones and tablets, unlocked through (again, presumably) the Play Store, much as it has done with the unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus.

08
May
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Ubiquitous Wireless Power Fast Becoming A Reality As Samsung, Qualcomm And Others Unite To Develop A New Standard

Posted by in News, Samsung

Amongst the smorgasbord of features Samsung announced for its newest flagship device the Galaxy SIII, the wireless charging accessory seemed the most no-brainer. Wireless power has been a dream for almost everyone, but aside from short-lived products, such as the Touchstone that was available for Palm's Pré phones, they have not really become a reality.

Today Samsung and Qualcomm, together with a group of other technology companies, announced a new initiative that aims to promote the "global standardization of a wireless power transfer technology". The appropriately named "Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP)" will help create an affordable wireless charging solution for a range of consumer electronic devices, from low power ones, such as Bluetooth headsets, to battery draining tablets.

15
May

[Weekend Poll] I/O 2011 Aftermath & Recap: What Has You Most Excited?

Posted by in Android OS, Applications, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Polls
Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see How Important Will Customization Be In Determining Your Next Android Purchase?

Google I/O 2011 is all wrapped up, and boy was it eventful. In case you missed them the first go-round, we provided a handy-dandy list (with videos embedded) of the keynotes and Android sessions from both the first and second day. The first keynote, especially, was really quite fascinating and provided a good review of where Android is headed. But at 55 minutes, it's probably a bit much to ask people to watch something quite that long (alternatively, you can read my on-the-fly notes).

12
Feb
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[Weekend Poll] Is The Nokia/Microsoft Alliance A Threat To Android?

Posted by in Android OS, Development, Polls
Last Updated: September 3rd, 2011

This is the newest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see The Great Divide: Is The Tablet/Phone Split Going To Hurt Android?

It's official: Nokia and Microsoft have formed a strategic alliance. Which, in layman's terms, means Nokia smartphones will be powered by Windows Phone 7, and search across all Nokia devices will be powered by Bing. What does this mean for Android, though?

Well, who knows. On the one hand, this is a move by Nokia to try to stop hemorrhaging customers, especially from the highly profitable smartphone segment. But it may already be too late; they've already given up an awful lot of ground.

11
Feb
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Nokia Finally Announces Strategic Partnership With Microsoft Over Windows Phone OS; Android Towers Over Both

Posted by in Android OS, News

After many weeks of speculations, Nokia and Microsoft finally announced minutes ago that the 2 companies are entering a strategic partnership "to build a new global mobile ecosystem."

Nokia has been struggling to keep up with the exploding smartphone market in the past years, and it was clear that something needed to be done.

MeeGo, Nokia's latest bet at replacing its aging Symbian system with a new, open sourced, Linux-based OS, has been in development since 2010, but no phones running this OS have been released by the company yet.

In an effort to regain market share, Nokia had to pick - either join forces with Android, a giant growing at incredible speeds, or side with the newcomer - Windows Phone 7 from Microsoft, a company Nokia can trust (their current CEO, Stephen Elop, spent almost 3 years as a Microsoft VP of BizDev).