Android OS - 140/164 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Dec

New Nexus Wallpaper Escapes From The Samsung Nexus S, Leaks Into The Forums

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

The Nexus S isn't exactly a huge upgrade from Google's original Jesus phone (in fact, it could be considered a downgrade in some respects), but it does feature one potential selling point: Gingerbread. That said, there's no reason those of us with non-Nexus S phones should have to wait in order to enjoy the update's new features, as the leaked Gingerbread launcher and 2.3 keyboard have shown us.

Today, Android Central Forums member Upstreammiami tweaked the Nexus live wallpaper in Éclair and Froyo to make it nearly identical to the default wallpaper on the NS. Obviously, since the phone isn't available yet, Upstreammiami wasn't able to grab the files directly off Samsung and Google's creation; therefore, this isn't a direct port.

Dec

Millennial Media November Report: Android Continuing To Grow, Dominating Ad Revenue & Developers

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Apps/Games, News

Another month, another report from advertiser Millennial Media. As usual, it's best to start this off by pointing out that these results are based on ad impressions across Millennial's network, and thus should be considered a sample. With that out of the way, let's take a peek.

The two most significant things that stand out to me are that Android is now tied with iOS for the largest smartphone OS, and Android accounts for a whopping 54% of ad revenue on the network, versus 39% for iOS. Pretty damn impressive.

Among application publishers who are adding support to new platforms, Android is the fastest growing, though that is something that is probably common sense if you really think about it (given that iOS already has a very large developer following).

Dec

How To Evade Your Carrier's Data Throttling On Your Android Device

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, Carriers, Development, News

It almost seems like more worthwhile news comes from XDA-Developers forum members than from carriers and manufacturers, doesn't it? This time around, it's user sino8r with a handy guide on how to modify the ROM on your rooted phone so that your carrier doesn't throttle your data. In other words, this one isn't for the inexperienced or faint of heart.

What exactly do we mean when we say this isn't for the rookies? Well, you'll need to have the Android SDK installed with ADB support, the related drivers, and smali. Assuming you've got all those prerequisites lined up, you need to crack open your ROM and commence grabbing, editing, and replacing numerous files - and that's just part of it.

Dec

eLocity A7 Tegra 2 Tablet Now Shipping To Those Who Pre-Ordered, Only $369 At Amazon

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in eLocity, Froyo 2.2, News

When it comes to Tegra 2-powered Android tablets, the Notion Ink Adam, the Viewsonic G, and Motorola's upcoming Honeycomb tablet are all the rage, but a small company called Stream TV would like to remind you that it's got a dual-core tablet of its own. Indeed, Stream TV is now shipping its eLocity A7 tablet, complete with a 7-inch display, Android 2.2 Froyo, and of course, the aforementioned nVidia Tegra 2 processor. For now, the company is only shipping it to those who pre-ordered it back in September, though Walmart, NewEgg, BJs, and Tiger Direct should be carrying the device for about $399 shortly, while Amazon will soon be touting it for just $369.

Dec

More Pictures Of Motorola's Honeycomb Tablet Surface, Confirm Verizon Compatibility

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

Motorola's Honeycomb tablet has certainly been receiving a lot of attention as of late - more attention, perhaps, than has ever been paid to a device whose name has yet to be publicized. Nonetheless, the pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together - Engadget has scored seven pictures of the 10-inch slate:

Unfortunately, some of the shots appear to have been taken by Mr. Blurrycam himself - in fact, the graininess is so bad in some images that it's nearly impossible to discern what is being conveyed. Still, regardless of what the ports shown in the last image are for (HDMI, microUSB, and headphone jack ports are probably in there somewhere), there's one thing that has been ascertained by this leak: the tablet is destined for Big Red's network, as proven by the Verizon logo seen in the first three images.

Dec

CyanogenMod 6.1 Comes To The Dell Streak, Gives Us An Idea Of What 5-Inch Tabletphones Should Be

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Dell, Development, Froyo 2.2, News, Streak

Froyo for AT&T's version of the Dell Streak has certainly been long in the making - and it looks like it AT&T still isn't ready to release it - but users who simply can't wait any longer now have an option, albeit an unofficial one.

CyanogenMod 6.1 Alpha has just been ported over to the 5-inch tabletphone, and while the experience is said to be imperfect as it stands, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, and hardware acceleration are reportedly all in working order. Despite some minor issues, perhaps what you'll find at the download link below is also what the device should have with way back when in August...

Dec

New Picture, Specs Leak Out Of Motorola's Honeycomb-Running Tablet

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Motorola

You could say December 7th ended with a bang - after a day crammed full of Gingerbread goodness, Andy Rubin came on stage at D: Dive Into Mobile to tease a next-gen Honeycomb tablet. Unfortunately, Google's VP of Engineering didn't give us a very in-depth look, so most of us were left hungry for more.

And more we have - in addition to the picture you're seeing above, Taiwanese forum member goldenstone provided us with the following specs:

1280x800 display
32 GB EMMC storage as well as a microSD card slot
NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 dual-core CPU with 3D performance re-optimization
Gyroscope
5 MP rear camera
2 MP front-facing cam

Oh, and Motorola's got something hidden up its sleeve for those of you still bickering over which size is best - there will be both seven and ten-inch editions of the device.

Dec

Analyst Says 80% Of Verizon Smartphones Sold Run Android, Coincides With Fall In Blackberry Sales

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Android OS, News

ITG Investment Research analyst Matthew Goodmam has come out with some figures for smartphone sales on Verizon. Perhaps most shocking is seeing just how far Research In Motion (RIM) has fallen - BlackBerry's share has fallen from over 90% of smartphone sales in late 2009 to less than 20% today. Before you get carried away with that drop, though, there are a few factors to consider that may make the numbers just a little less spectacular.

The first consideration is that smartphone sales are increasing hand-over-fist as a percentage of sales - people are switching from their dumbphones to smartphone in spades.

Dec

Google Starting Near Field Communication (NFC) Push In Portland, Oregon

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Gingerbread 2.3, News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju)

Wondering how and when that newfangled Near Field Communication (NFC) techology in the Nexus S will be put to good use? Thanks to a new post on the Google Mobile Blog, we now know where the Goog is starting off: businesses. Specifically, they're looking to help businesses use the nifty tech to share some info about themselves to curious people passing by.

How does it work? Google is sending out kits, complete with window decals, to businesses around Portland. The businesses can set up the kit, set up an info page on Google Places, and slap the decal on the window; if somebody is walking by and is curious about a business, the idea is that they can just briefly hold their phone up to the decal and additional information about the establishment will be pulled up on the phone.

Dec

Gingerbread SDK Closes A TapJacking Vulnerability

Posted by Stephen Tenerowicz in Development, Gingerbread 2.3, News

With Android 2.3, users will have not only a slew of new features (I can't wait!), but also a fix to a security issue present in the previous versions of Android: TapJacking. TapJacking occurs when a malicious application displays a fake user interface that you can interact with, but actually secretly passes interaction events, such as finger taps, to a hidden user interface behind it. Using this technique, a devious developer could potentially trick a user into making purchases, clicking on ads, installing applications, or even wiping all of the data from the phone. All around, TapJacking is not good!

In previous versions of Android, an attacker was able to display the fake user interface by creating a customized notification (called a Toast) to obscure the real interface.