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Jan

Always Innovating Announces The HDMI Dongle - An Itty Bitty Alternative To The Set-Top Box

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, News

Always Innovating, a company which "leverages the latest developments in open source technologies worldwide to create innovative products that solve real problems for consumers," will be debuting a new device at CES this year – the HDMI Dongle. The Dongle looks to replace the set-top box for those who aren't interested in buying a hefty (or more expensive) GoogleTV device.

AI's HDMI Dongle is essentially a complete system on a chip, and has some incredible specs for such a tiny device. Supposedly starting at just $79, the device comes with a Cortex-A9 processor (capable of 1GHz to 1.8GHz speeds, depending on configuration), between 256MB and 1GB RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC Connectivity, an accelerometer, and a bundled remote.

Nov

This Tasty Cotton Candy Is A Dual-Core Android Powerhouse On A (USB) Stick

Posted by Charles Beel in Android OS, Development, Gingerbread 2.3, News

This diminutive little guy is more than meets the eye. It weighs 21 grams, which is the same as the bag of the Cotton Candy it is codenamed after. The unassuming USB stick is actually an Android 2.3 Gingerbread powered device that packs a wallop. Here are its specs:

Dual-core 1.2-GHz Samsung Exynos ARM CPU
802.11n Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
HDMI-out
microSD card slot

The magic happens when you plug Cotton Candy into a Windows or OSX device. A secure window running a true Android 2.3 environment will open, which FXI Technologies refers to as "Any Screen Connected Computing":

New York, NY and Trondheim, Norway – November 17, 2011 - FXI Technologies, a hardware and software startup based in Trondheim Norway, demonstrated today the world’s first any screen, connected computing USB device. Codenamed “Cotton Candy”, this sweet little device serves as a technology bridge between any display, the Cloud, and any input peripheral.

Jun

[Updated: Now On Amazon Too] Toshiba Thrive Pre-Orders Live On Toshiba Direct Starting At $429, Shipping In Mid-July

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Tablets, Thrive / Regza / Antares / AT100, Tips & Tutorials, Toshiba

Update 6/14/11: All 3 Thrive variations are now on Amazon as well, for those who prefer themselves some tax-free shopping.

Ever since we saw Toshiba's then-unnamed tablet at CES in January, we've carefully put our ears to the ground to learn all we can about this surprisingly capable device. Today's Thrive news, then, has us excited - pre-orders have started, and all iterations of the tablet (8/16/32GB) will be shipping on the same yet-to-be-announced date next month (Toshiba's site now says "Mid-July").

Unlike the Office Depot pre-order, Toshiba Direct allows you to order the thriftier 8GB model, which comes in at a very reasonable $429.

Jun

Sprint Announces Triumph: The First Motorola Android Device On Virgin Mobile

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Motorola, News, Sprint, Triumph

At their NYC luncheon event, Sprint and Motorola just made official the second of their two new Android devices: the 4.1-inch Triumph. It'll be Virgin Mobile's first Motorola Android device when it launches later this summer, packing a 1GHz processor of some variety, a 5MP rear shooter in addition to a VGA front-facing camera, and an HDMI output port in its 0.4-inch thick body.

Though Sprint has yet to inform us of the Android version the Triumph will be running, we do know that it will come with Virgin Mobile Live 2.0, a social networking app which will provide free access to a "critically acclaimed music stream" hosted by Abbey Braden.

Jun

Motorola Droid 3 Shows Off Its Updated Looks And Hardware In 3 Leaked Videos

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Droid 3, News

Last Updated: June 6th, 2011

Not much was known for a fact about the next crown jewel in the Droid line of Android phones that played a such a crucial part in the growth of the OS in the past 2 years. We had a suspicion that it would have a 4" screen, lose "the lip," and gain a dual-core CPU and a front-facing camera, all while bearing the name Droid 3, but no concrete proof of any of those.

A series of Droid 3 training videos surfaced today, well ahead of the device's release, which is rumored to be sometime this summer. The videos clearly show and confirm a larger form factor with curvier lines (4" sounds about right now), an 8MP HD camera that is capable of 1080P video recording, an updated version of MOTOBLUR (just look at that lock screen), a 5-row keyboard with a dedicated number row, and an HDMI output.

Mar

HTC EVO 3D And View 4G Use A Single MHL Port That Allows For Both MicroUSB And HDMI Charging - Yes, Your TV Will Charge Your Devices

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in EVO 3D (Shooter), EVO View 4G, Galaxy S II, HTC, News

Something that surprised me at the CTIA conference yesterday was the connector port used in both the HTC EVO 3D and View 4G. Instead of 2 distinct standards, like on the EVO 4G - MicroUSB and MicroHDMI - the new EVO devices have only 1 port that uses the brand new MHL technology (Mobile High-Definition Link). And it is brilliant.

The MHL 1.0 standard, finalized a few months ago, uses a single port to connect both HDMI and MicroUSB, and get this - it is able to charge via HDMI as well. Your MHL-enabled TV, connected to your mobile device via an MHL-HDMI cable, will be able to charge it much faster than MicroUSB.

Mar

FullHDMI For EVO App Now In Market, No Longer Requires Custom Kernel

Posted by Will Shanklin in Applications, EVO 4G (Supersonic), News

If you are an owner of an HTC EVO 4G, it's possible that one the contributing factors to your buying the popular smartphone may have been the HDMI output feature. After hearing that it can produce said capabilities, maybe your mind began dreaming up all kinds of situations where showing your phone's display on a TV in HD resolution could be very handy. If so, then chances are you were a little bit deflated as you saw the fine print that only Gallery and YouTube apps would work with this handy feature (is that a yawn I hear?). Today all of that has changed as FullHDMI for HTC EVO, previously in beta and requiring custom kernels, is now in the Market and can utilize most features with any kernel (cue the applause).

Mar

[Update: Root No Longer Required] XDA Team Enables Webtop Over HDMI For Everyone With A Rooted Atrix

Posted by Zak Stinson in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Development, News, Tips & Tutorials

Last Updated: March 13th, 2011

At the leading edge of this new wave of dual-core superphones is the Motorola Atrix. One of the major innovations of this device, besides the next-level processing power and fingerprint scanner, is Webtop - the desktop-style interface available when the Atrix is docked. By plugging into the HD multimedia or laptop dock (sold separately of course), you can interact with the phone on a larger display while using an internet browser, file explorer and Facebook in a pseudo-desktop environment.

While the feature is pretty nifty, the price tag isn't. The cost of the docks may have come down since the release of the Atrix, but $400 for the laptop version is still prohibitively expensive for some.

Feb

Confirmed: Netflix App Available Exclusively On Future Qualcomm-Based Smartphones, Starting With The LG Revolution

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, LG, News, Revolution, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: February 16th, 2011

Want Netflix on your current Android device? Too bad - as LG and Qualcomm told Engadget, the Netflix app will not be available on existing Android hardware (at least not officially).

Apparently, future Qualcomm CPUs will include additional DRM libraries that no current smartphone processor has, making the decision slightly more understandable (though still extremely disappointing). There's still no word on exactly what processors will support Netflix, but we do know that the LG Revolution will be compatible with it - meaning that the app works with single-core chips.

Disappointing news? Sure, but if it's any comfort, the app does look pretty sweet - check out Engadget's hands-on video:

Source: Engadget

Jan

Toshiba's Tablet Gets A Super Cool Teaser Site, Still Doesn't Know What To Call Itself

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Thrive / Regza / Antares / AT100, Toshiba

Last Updated: April 16th, 2011

Toshiba's Android tablet (it remains unnamed) just got an awesome teaser site, complete with specs, 360-degree view, gallery, and confirmation that the device will be running Honeycomb at launch.

We got some personal time with the Toshiba tablet back at CES, and were thoroughly impressed with its tactile rubber finish and large, glossy display. We'll give you a quick refresh on the specs:

10.1" display
Tegra 2 dual-core processor
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
2MP front facing camera
Stereo Speakers
Landscape mode dock
HDMI out
USB 2.0 port
MicroUSB port
Headphone and microphone jacks
User-replaceable battery
Combined volume, screen orientation, and power buttons
Full-size SD card slot

The Toshiba tablet is definitely packing some serious heat in the features department, and it's only the second Android tablet I've seen that I might genuinely be interested in buying.