tablet - 36/56 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

Toshiba Thrive Rooted, Superuser Permissions Enabled, ClockworkMod Recovery Flashed

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Development, News, Thrive / Regza / Antares / AT100

Last Updated: August 3rd, 2011

It has been quite an exciting (and busy) night for Thrive owners and hackers. The community managed to root the device, enable Superuser Permissions, and flash ClockworkMod Recovery. Thus far only a handful of people have taken the plunge, so issues could still arise, but preliminary results are looking good. In their own words:

Mine is the second fully working Thrive with Superuser access, Dalepl was first, and austeregrim bricked his to get shell root so we could get the system dump. NatolX bricked his to prove they have an unlocked bootloader.

...Please note take this at your own risk, this is just a preliminary step, and I happen to know it might only work on the latest OTA for the Thrive (dunno about later Toshiba updates).

Jul

Official: Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE Goes On Sale July 28 Starting At $530

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Galaxy Tab 10.1, News, Verizon Wireless

While not entirely unexpected, Verizon and Samsung have pulled a bit of a ninja act with the LTE Tab 10.1. We haven't heard a word about it lately, yet an official announcement has just landed in our inbox announcing it will go on sale in two days. The ubertablet will run from $530 for the 16GB model to $630 for the 32GB model, a $30 premium over the WiFi version. As an added bonus, Tab 10.1 purchasers will get a free $25 credit for the Samsung Media Hub.

The major specs:

Dual-core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 processor
10.1" WXGA 1280x800 TFT (PLS) screen (PLS confirmed by official specs)
1GB RAM
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
7000 mAh battery
3MP rear camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, 2MP front-facing camera

Full presser:

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB™ 10.1 WITH 4G LTE AVAILABLE AT VERIZON WIRELESS

4G LTE and Wi-Fi Models Available; 8.6 Millimeters Thin and Weighing in at 1.25 pounds

BASKING RIDGE, N.J.

Jul

[Updated With Video] Lenovo Unveils Its IdeaPad K1: The First Honeycomb Tablet With Full Netflix Compatibility

Posted by Cameron Summerson in IdeaPad K1, News

Lenovo finally made its Honeycomb-sporting IdeaPad K1 an official commodity - and it's basically just another fish in a sea of Android 3.1 tablets. It's filled with the nearly-identical hardware guts of the top Android tablets on the market today:

10.1 1280x800 display
1GHz Tegra 2 chipset
1GB RAM
16/32GB on-board storage; SD Card slot
MicroHDMI
WiFi
Optional 3G (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint)
5MP rear camera; 2MP front
Android 3.1

Of course, Lenovo has made a few changes to add its own custom touch to the device, like the Lenovo Launcher: a five-pane launchpad dead-smack in the middle of the screen that allows quick access to a user-customizable set of shortcuts.

Jul

36 Best New (And 5 WTF) Android Apps And Live Wallpapers From The Last 2 Weeks (7/3/11 - 7/18/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This post features only apps and live wallpapers - you can find games here and tablet apps here.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here:

Apps

Vellamo Mobile Web Benchmark

Android Police coverage: Qualcomm Releases Vellamo: A New Web Benchmarking App

Vellamo is a new benchmark that finally measures what you actually care about rather than abstract values that are easy to cheat.

Jul

21 Best New Android Games From The Last 2 Weeks (7/2/11 - 7/17/11)

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Best Apps/Games/LWPs Of The Week, Games, News

Welcome to the weekly roundup of the best new Android applications, games, and live wallpapers that went live in the Market or were spotted by us in the previous 2 weeks or so.

This post only features games - apps are coming soon in a separate post and tablet apps were posted earlier today.

Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the AppBrain widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.

Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here:

Featured Game

Today's game roundup is sponsored by Solitaire Challenge (Online) from Lasting.

Jul

[Review] ASUS Eee Pad Transformer - A Month With A Tablet In Disguise

Posted by Ian G. Clifton in ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer, Reviews, Tablet Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Tablets are rapidly changing the way we approach technology. They give a sense of immediacy and tactile connection that desktops and notebooks can't touch; however, I will be the first to admit that the hype seemed stupid to me. Several coworkers purchased the original iPad on the day it launched and were eager to show them off. "But what can you do with it?" was my question, and there wasn't a good answer. The tablet was not fulfilling any needs that netbooks and laptops could not already cover.

A year later, Honeycomb became available on the Motorola XOOM. The OS was rough around the edges, but it showed a different take on tablets - one that blended the always-connected nature of smartphones with many of the advantages of notebooks.

Jul

[Updated: Even Cheaper From Costco & Amazon] Vizio Android Tablet Now Available For Pre-Order, Ships On July 18th

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Vizio, VTAB1008

Last Updated: July 31st, 2011

Update: If you're not into the idea of dropping $379 on this, then you can per-order it from Costco for $50 less ($329). Similarly, Amazon has the pre-order priced at $350, which is still a bit cheaper than ordering direct from Vizio.

If you've been counting down the days until Vizio releases its 8-inch Android-powered tablet, then you can breath a sigh of relief, as pre-orders are now live. The tablet itself is $379, but you can drop $20 extra and get a 16GB SD card and folio style case to go along with it. Here is a quick look at the specs:

8 inch 1024x768 display
512MB RAM
Front facing camera
MiniUSB port
Micro HDMI out
4GB built-in storage, SD Card slot
Android 2.3

Although this tablet is sans-Honeycomb, it may still be worth the money for those of you who have a Vizio Google TV, as it's designed to accompany said device.

Jul

Comcast XFINITY TV App Updated With Honeycomb, Gingerbread Support - And It Looks Great

Posted by David Ruddock in Applications, Apps/Games, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

Do you have Comcast XFINITY cable? If not, this app may have you considering a switch of providers. The Comcast XFINITY TV app has been around for a while, but a lack of Gingerbread and Honeycomb compatibility has left many users frustrated - and drooling. Why? Because this app is awesome. Take a look at these Honeycomb screenshots taken from a XOOM:

Sorry to take up a big piece of your screen real estate, but those images need to be seen full-size to really appreciate the layout. So, if you're not familiar with XFINITY TV, it's basically a near-total remote and DVR interface replacement that runs on your Android device.

Jul

Toshiba Thrive Arrives Early - On Sale Now At Best Buy Stores, But Only 16GB and 32GB Versions

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

It seems Best Buy just can't keep its stuff in the stockroom. Contrary to the earlier July 10th tip, we've gotten multiple confirmations that Best Buy stores have already started selling the Toshiba Thrive tablet - you can walk into your local store and pick one up right now.

We've personally confirmed that several stores have the Thrive (16 and 32GB versions only, unfortunately) in stock, but you should call ahead to your local store - just in case. Have the following SKUs handy when you call:

2768901 - 32GB version
2769576 - 16GB version

That means you'll be forking over $480 (at least) if you want a Thrive today.

Jul

Bloomberg Brings Tablet-Friendly App To The Android Market

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

If you're the business-minded-Android-tablet-toting type, then grab your beloved Honeycomb device and fire up the Android Market, as a tablet-friendly version of the Bloomberg app is now live. With this app you can grab the latest news, market data, and portfolio information, as well as charts and graphs, so you can stay on top of the latest business trends.

Although the Market listing claims that this app will work on Android 2.1+, that doesn't seem to be the case, as I couldn't install it on my phone at all - only my Galaxy Tab 10.1. In its current state, the app is little more than a glorified, expanded version of the phone app, but I have little doubt that more Honeycomb features will be added as the application is updated.