Android OS - 114/164 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Apr

Sony Unveils Its Own Pair Of Honeycomb Tablets - The S1 And S2

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News, S1, S2, Sony

Last Updated: June 30th, 2011

The tablet news just keeps on coming. In the past few days, we've already caught wind of two Honeycomb tablets from Lenovo, and now Sony is officially revealing the S1 and S2 tablets. The event is being live blogged by the Wall Street Journal here, but thanks to an official press release we have plenty of details on both the tablets. First up, the S1:

9.4" display
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
"Off-center of gravity design" (check out this mockup for an idea of what this means)
NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
Front and rear cameras
Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connectivity

And the S2:

Two 5.5" 1024 x 480 screens
Android 3.0 Honeycomb
NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor
Front and rear cameras
Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connectivity

Both tablets will also be joining the Xperia Play as PlayStation Certified devices, as they will be able to play PS1 games using on-screen controls.

Apr

[Rumor] Android 2.3.4 To Introduce Video Chat - Expect An Unveiling At Google I/O

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Gingerbread 2.3, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Samsung

The Google I/O rumor mill has been surprisingly calm this year - certainly calmer than it was last year, that's for sure. But a recent tweet from @MAFiA303, who reportedly "works with Samsung," changes that completely - have a look for yourself:

Frankly, we were expecting to see more than a new iteration of Gingerbread at I/O, but hey - we'll take what we can get, and video chat is a seriously hot addition to mobile Gmail (especially given that "impressive quality" statement). And this is Google we're talking about, so expect a curveball - who can wait to see what surprises Andy and co.

Apr

HTC: We Will Be Updating The Flyer To Honeycomb Shortly After Launch

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

We've heard several rumors about when the HTC Flyer would get a Honeycomb update, but now we have something a bit more concrete - this time directly from HTC. According to its official Twitter page, HTC has said that "[they] will be updating Flyer to Honeycomb shortly after launch." We've know for a while that the Flyer would get Honeycomb eventually, but this is the first time that we've gotten wind of any sort of time frame.

A quick spec rundown:

1.5GHz single-core Snapdragon processor
1GB RAM
7 inch, 1024x600 display
16GB Storage, SD Card slot
5MP rear camera with 720p video capture, 1.3MP front camera
Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread at launch

Does knowing that Honeycomb is in the near-future of this stylus-wielding tablet make you want to pre-order it today?

Apr

Updated: [Download] CyanogenMod 7 For The HTC Thunderbolt (Pre-Alpha) Now With Fast Mirror!

Posted by David Ruddock in Development, Gingerbread 2.3, HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Yes, you read right - CyanogenMod 7 for the Thunderbolt. We're super excited, too, because we can finally get our Thunderbolt Gingerbread on! But, please be careful, this is a pre-Alpha release (that means the release before the release before the beta), so be careful. Here's what does not work:

-USB Tethering does not work.
-Phone Testing menu does not display correct radio options. If you play with it, you will have to relfash a Stock based rom to 4G back.
-Possible Data/Voice bugs and issues.
-Possible Mic issues on phone calls (try a reboot)

This is basically saying your Thunderbolt might not work very well as a phone.

Apr

HoneyReader Is An Android Feed Reader Made Specifically For Honeycomb

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

Last Updated: April 24th, 2011

While browsing the XOOM xda forum today, I saw this announcement of HoneyReader, a new application built specifically with Honeycomb tablets in mind. Because it doesn't have to support pre-Honeycomb versions of the OS or small-sized phone screens altogether, the authors concentrated on making it a great tablet experience, and I must say, their first take is pretty good.

HoneyReader uses the native to Honeycomb Fragments API that on the surface translates to fluid and flexible UI elements that can divide the screen into separately scrollable independent areas with their own lifecycles. If you're familiar with the CNN app, for example, you know what I'm talking about (I personally think the Fragments API is the greatest thing in Android since...

Apr

Google Cloud Music? - Rumors Of Partnership Talks Between Spotify and Google

Posted by Zak Stinson in Android OS, News, Rumors

The word on the web today is that Google is in negotiations with Spotify, the European answer to Grooveshark, to partner up on Google's upcoming music streaming project. CNET's source claims that during talks with major record labels, Google did a bit of name dropping and announced that they were hoping to work with the popular European music streaming service, although nobody from either Google or Spotify was available to comment on that rumor.

This isn't the only cloud music company that Google has shown an interest in. Back in May 2010, Google bought Simplify Media, a company that allows users to stream music and photos from their desktop machines to their mobile phones, which was no doubt involved in the interesting preview of the Android music syncing service we were privy to earlier this year.

Apr

Motorola DEFY Froyo Update Rolling Out Now

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in DEFY (Jordan), Froyo 2.2, Motorola, T-Mobile

Motorola DEFY owners, you are second-class citizens no more, as T-Mobile's latest OTA software update will infuse your devices with a fresh Froyo taste. Unfortunately, the 112MB upgrade won't free you from the shackles of MOTOBLUR, but it will bring some staple 2.2 features - including Adobe Flash compatibility, WiFi hotspot capabilities, and faster performance - as well as some Motorola additions, such as a task manager and LinkedIn integration.

As the topping on the cake, it appears that all DEFY owners are now able to get the update, not just those lucky enough to have been included in the first "stage" of the roll-out.

Apr

Sony Ericsson's Indonesian Office Announces The W8 - First Android Walkman Phone

Posted by Zak Stinson in Eclair 2.1, News, Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson Indonesia has quietly announced to the world that they will be putting out the first Android-based Walkman device, the W8. This is by no means a power house, though, with a 600MHz processor, 168MB of RAM, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a 3" 320x480 screen; clearly, this phone is aimed at the budget market.

This device will run Android 2.1 and the same version of Timescape as the X10 mini, with some tweaks to the Mediascape music interface to give users the Walkman experience. To make sure you enjoy blasting some tunes on the W8, Sony is going to sweeten the deal for anyone picking up this phone with a set of premium earbuds.

Apr

[Updated: Download Link And Instructions] Just In: Samsung Fascinate ED01 Froyo Update Starts Early, Rolling Out Now

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless

What an incredible day for Samsung Fascinate users on Verizon Wireless - earlier this morning, we reported that the coveted Froyo update was finally set to arrive tomorrow, April 21st. Looks like someone at Verizon pulled the trigger a little earlier, as we are seeing multiple reports of the update rolling out as we ~~speak~~ write.

Want some proof? Have a look at the screenshot (that can easily take the top prize in the ugliest Android screen ever contest) our own Justin Case just pulled from his Fascinate:

So, grab your Fascinates and start mashing the Check for Updates button to see if your update is already waiting for you.

Apr

Intel Is Bringing Honeycomb To x86, Expect Tablets Out This Year

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Tablets

There have been rumors for sometime now that chipset manufacturer Intel has been looking to get into the Android tablet market, and it turns out those rumors are indeed true. Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini stated that they have received the Honeycomb source code from Google and are actively working on porting it now, with hopes of making several Honeycomb-based tablets available this year.

The current lineup of top-notch Android tablets is fairly cookie-cutter in spec, so it's nice to see that a new platform is coming along to mix things up.

This doesn't just bring good news for tablets, either - Intel is planning to support phones as well.