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Jan

Google Translate For Android Hits Version 2.0, Receives Conversation Mode, Updated UI

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Google, News

As far as Android translation apps go, Google Translate is still among the best available - sure, it isn't perfect, but it's free and for the occasional translation it'll suffice. To celebrate the app's first birthday, Google has updated it to 2.0 and added a new feature called "Conversation Mode."

Image Credit: Engadget

Conversation Mode allows you and your foreign friend to speak in two different languages before having Google Translate display the words you say onscreen in your native languages (as seen in the second screenshot above). For now, it only works with Spanish and English, and it has problems with regional accents, background noise, and rapid speech, but it's a start.

Jan

Google Goggles Updated To Version 1.3, Now Includes Sudoku Puzzle Solving, Instantaneous QR Code Scanning, And Print Ad Recognition

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

Google just updated its Goggles app to version 1.3 and added three noteworthy features that make it even more desirable than it was before. First is the ability to scan QR codes without actually taking a picture; just hover your camera over the image and Goggles will automatically recognize it.

Second, Goggles now recognizes ads in major US newspapers and magazines. I couldn't get this to work, but Google claims it will work with any ads dated since August 2010.

The last feature is the one that has everybody talking - Google Goggles is now capable of scanning and solving Sudoku puzzles in a matter of seconds.

Jan

Dolphin Browser Mini Leaves Beta, Hits 1.0

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, News

My current browser of choice, Dolphin HD, gained a little brother a few months ago, when Dolphin Mini (beta) was born. It was lighter, faster, and more elegant, yet still functional and robust. After over 50,000 downloads and weeks of testing, the Dolphin team just released v1.0 of the Mini, meaning it's officially out of beta and stable for everyday use.

Improvements in the latest version include:

UI upgrade ( menu & toolbox )
Add Bookmarks Label
Add on demand/ enable flash plugin
Data backup & restore
Quick access to clean data

If you haven't given Dolphin Mini a fair chance yet, I suggest you try it out by scanning the barcode below or clicking it if you're on your mobile:

Jan

Android 2.4 Is Real, Possibly An Incremental Gingerbread Upgrade

Posted by Brad Ganley in Android OS, Gingerbread 2.3, News

It's been a very confusing ride trying to figure out the official version number of Honeycomb, what exactly Honeycomb will be, and what devices will get it. Thanks to CES 2011, though, we're finally getting some answers.

At first, we all assumed that Honeycomb would be Android 3.0. Then we saw some evidence suggesting the existence of a Android 2.4. After that, we got the official, final word on the matter: it's 3.0.

Today at CES, a member of Tweakers.net got his hands on one of those new Sony Xperia Arcs that turned out to be running what looks like an early build of Android 2.4.

Jan

Android Platform Version Chart Updated: Froyo Dominates, Éclair Still Strong, Cupcake And Donut On The Way Out

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Cupcake 1.5, Donut 1.6, Eclair 2.1, Froyo 2.2, Gingerbread 2.3, News

As per usual, Google has updated their Android Platform Version Chart, which gives us a clear indication of how many devices are running each version of Android, based on Market usage. The results won't shock anybody, but they do say good things about the current state of fragmentation in Android. Froyo continues it dominance, taking over half of the chart, while Android 2.1 still remains strong with 35%, likely due in large part to the massive number of Galaxy S phones still running it. Our obsolete friends, Cupcake and Donut, continue to fall into obscurity, although devices running them are unlikely to be updated.

Jan

Samsung USA's Official Update On The Galaxy S Froyo Situation: "We Are Still Running Tests"

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Captivate, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Vibrant

If you've been waiting for Android 2.2 "Froyo" to officially hit your Samsung Galaxy S device, be it Fascinate, Vibrant, Epic 4G, or Captivate, prepare to be disappointed, as Samsung is still stuck doing complicated testing required for the upgrade to go live. Countless over-promises and delays have upset many Galaxy S owners over the last months, but after releasing and pulling back Froyo upgrades in Canada, Samsung wants to really do things the right way this time. Back to the waiting room we go.

Source: @samsungtweets

Dec

[Update: Nope] Rumor: The Real Samsung Epic 4G Froyo Update To Roll Out December 26th

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Epic 4G, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Sprint

Update 12/29/10: Nope, either the rumor was false or Samsung/Sprint decided to delay the update once again:

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Epic 4G users, remember the Froyo update (DK28) that we thought was final but turned out to be nothing but a leaked test build? Shortly after the leak, Sprint released a statement discouraging the download and reaffirming the official latest supported build was Android 2.1 with Sprint's software version DI18.

The wait resumed, but not for long, as an official-looking photo of what looks like some sort of a memo in Sprint's internal customer support system, showed up over at Phone Arena.

Dec

[Updated] Samsung Product Pages Hint At Android 2.2 For (Some) U.S. Galaxy S Devices

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Captivate, Continuum, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Vibrant

Update: Samsung has since updated the product pages in question to reflect the fact that the Galaxy S phones are still stuck on Éclair. And the wait goes on.

A number of Android Central tipsters have noticed something rather interesting while looking at the product pages for the US Galaxy S devices: the Epic 4G, Vibrant, and Fascinate all show as rocking Android 2.2 (Froyo). The funny thing is, the actual update is nowhere to be found. Could this be a hint that the update is imminent? It would certainly make sense.

Unfortunately, the Captivate and Continuum are still listed as running Android 2.1 - either their pages have yet to be updated, or (more likely) the update isn't quite ready for prime time.

Dec

Your Move, Shazam - SoundHound's Free Android App Now Features Unlimited Music IDs

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Applications, News

The developers of SoundHound, a music recognition app, have decided to update the free version of their app to allow an unlimited number of music IDs, instead of the previous limit of 5 each month.

Meanwhile, SoundHound's biggest competitor, Shazam, has a very similar offering: a free app that has the same limit of 5 music IDs per month. If Shazam does nothing, which is hard to imagine, and you don't plan on spending any money, there's no contest regarding which app you are going to end up using.

Whether SoundHound might be digging itself into a hole with this move or not is unclear, but unlimited song recognition is one less reason for customers to drop $4.99 for SoundHound Infinity.

Dec

Samsung UK Says Froyo Update Now Available For All UK Networks

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Carriers, Froyo 2.2, Galaxy S, News

Fresh off the presses (read: Twitter), @SamsungUK has just tweeted saying that Android 2.2 (Froyo) is now available for the Samsung Galaxy S "on all networks." As this is SamsungUK,I'm guessing that means in the UK only, but I've tweeted back asking for clarification just in case - although whether I hear anything back is dubious at best. Regardless, I'll post here once we have some clarification. It looks like the update will have to be applied manually, through Samsung's KIES software.

To anyone unfamiliar with the situation, this update has been a long time coming after having been delayed a few times - which would explain why people were fairly pissed.