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Apr

Google I/O 2011 Schedule For 20+ Android Sessions Now Available

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, News

Google I/O 2011 is almost here - can you feel it in the air? Personally, I'm counting down days to May 10th when I'll be waking up extra early to gallop over to the Moscone Center in San Francisco and try to attend at least some of the 22 planned Android sessions, including fireside chats and office hours with the Android team.

The [almost - there's 1 TBA] final schedule for these sessions is now up at the I/O site, so if you're one of the lucky attendees, have a look below or hop on over to this document to see the whole timetable in its full glory.

Apr

[Hands-On Video] DROID Charge: First Impressions

Posted by David Ruddock in 4G, Charge (i510), News, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, Videos

While Verizon has temporarily pushed back the release date of the DROID Charge after a 24-hour 4G LTE network outage yesterday, I did manage to get my hands on a review unit this afternoon.

The first thing I noticed was how sleek and futuristic this phone looks - it is just plain cool, in a way that no HTC or Motorola device even comes close to. The boot animation is probably the best on any DROID to date. It's shaped like it was designed to thwart radar detection - and it's pretty light to boot, a perception that is reinforced by the Charge's faux-carbon fiber battery cover.

Apr

Adobe Releases Major Update To Flash 10.2, Including Enhancements For Honeycomb

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Acer, Applications, ASUS, Eee Pad Transformer, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Iconia Tab A500, LG, Motorola, News, Optimus Pad / G-Slate, XOOM

The latest update to Flash 10.2 for Android (version number 10.2.157.51) hit the Market earlier today and introduced several enhancements, most notably hardware acceleration for 720p videos (mentioned here earlier), albeit only on Honeycomb tablets.

Browser integration in Honeycomb has also been improved, and "important bug fixes and security enhancements," including a fix to the "critical" vulnerability discovered a few weeks ago, have been made across the board - not just in Honeycomb.

The only problem - both of the Honeycomb enhancements above require a yet-to-be-released system update, which could potentially bear version number 3.1, at least according to the app's initial changelog.

Apr

[Like A Boss] Acer Iconia Tab A500 Rooted, Process Is Stupid Easy

Posted by Brad Ganley in Acer, Applications, Development, Iconia Tab A500, News

Good news, everyone! The Acer Iconia has been rooted and the process is so ridiculously simple that it's almost offensive. Seriously. Here is the entire step-by-step process to gaining full root on the Acer Iconia:

The link in that post goes to the XDA thread for a modified GingerBreak, an application for rooting devices in one click; no computer necessary. You simply download the modified APK, install it on your Iconia, run it, and become rooted.

I must say, I'm impressed at how simple and fast that was for a device that just came out, let alone the fact that it's got an operating system only a small handful of devices are running.

Apr

HTC ThunderBolt vs. Samsung DROID Charge: Battle Of The Specs

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Charge (i510), HTC, News, Samsung, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Verizon's pair of LTE handsets are sure to confuse some shoppers - though one is from Samsung (the DROID Charge) and the other from HTC (the ThunderBolt), the two sport relatively similar feature sets and designs that somewhat resemble one another. So what's the difference? Well, aside from the Charge being $50 more expensive than the already-pricy ThunderBolt, there really aren't many differentiators - let's take a side-by-side look at their spec sheets:

Spec type	DROID Charge	ThunderBolt
CPU	1GHz Hummingbird	1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655
Display	4.3" Super AMOLED Plus	4.3" SLCD
OS	Android 2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz UI	Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Sense UI
Front camera	1.3MP	1.3MP
Rear camera	8MP with 720P HD recording	8MP with 720p HD recording
RAM	512MB	768MB
Internal storage	2GB	8GB (though not all of that storage is usable)
Included SD card	32GB	32GB
DLNA support	Yes	Yes
Buttons	Physical	Capacitive
Size	130 mm x 68 mm x 12 mm	122 mm x 66 mm x 13.2 mm
Weight	143g	177g
Battery capacity	1600 mAh	1400 mAh
Price on contract	$299	$249

As you can see, neither device is anything to scoff at, though - at least in my eyes - the fact that the ThunderBolt runs Sense UI turns the tide in its favor (despite the Charge's superior screen and slightly thinner profile).

Apr

Android 2.3.4 To Introduce Video Chat - No Need To Wait Until Google I/O

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, News

On Monday we told you that Google may bring video chat to Android 2.3.4, and that we expect an announcement at Google I/O. It looks like we got it half right - Google has officially announced Talk with Video Chat integration in Android 2.3.4, but we didn't have to wait until I/O to find out.

The service looks like it will work almost identical to its desktop counterpart: the status icon displays whether or not the person is available for video chat (or capable of it). Tap the icon to start a video chat session, and you're good to go. It's cross platform, too, meaning that you can chat with desktop users and other mobile users alike.

Apr

DROID 3 Display And Digitizer Assembly Shows Up Online, Is This Really The Targa?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid 3, Motorola, News, Rumors

Well, I can honestly say that I didn't expect to be typing this today. It looks like things may be starting to unfold with the Bionic/Targa drama - as in, the Bionic may not be the Targa at all. Now you're curious, right? Allow me to explain, but keep in mind that this is all speculation.

We all know that manufacturers use code names for their devices. For example, the original Droid was codenamed "Sholes" while the EVO was called "Supersonic" during its testing phase. Several weeks ago, we saw some leaked images that were supposed to be the Motorola Droid 3, which suggested a codename of "Solana".

Apr

[Download] Live Wallpaper And Weather Widget From The Eee Pad Transformer (Honeycomb Only)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Applications, Eee Pad Transformer, News, XOOM

Thanks to sano614 over at the XDA forums you can now have a few of the goodies from the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer on other Honeycomb tablets, specifically the super-nifty My Water live wallpaper and ASUS's weather widget. You've probably seen this wallpaper before - it's the beverage-esque one that moves around on your screen as you shift your tablet around, complete with ice cubes and bubbles. The weather widget offers what you would expect: current conditions and temperature in a visually stimulating package.

I've uploaded both the widget and the wallpaper to our mirror for convenience purposes, but don't forget to jump over the to source thread at XDA and drop a thank you note.

Apr

[Rumor] Samsung Galaxy S II Coming To T-Mobile?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Galaxy S II, News, Rumors, T-Mobile

I'm a sucker for a good rumor, and I just can't pass up sharing this one with all of you. According to TmoNews, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S II might be landing on T-Mobile. How this information came about, however, does make me a little skeptical (I said I'm a sucker for a good rumor, not that I believe every one that comes along).

The above image was taken from Adobe's website, and it appears to show a Galaxy S II on the T-Mo website. This has to be the real deal, too, because no one ever makes Photoshop errors, right?

Apr

PSA: Take It Easy, AT&T Isn't Targeting Unauthorized Android Tethering (And May Never)

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, AT&T, Editorials, News, Tips & Tutorials

There's been a lot of talk about AT&T's crusade against rogue tethering lately, and it all comes back to this AT&T text message sent to some poor iPhone customer(s):

AT&T Free Msg: We’ve noticed you’re continuing to enjoy the tethering feature with your smartphone service. Remember, you need a tethering plan ($45/mo, incl. 4GB) to use this feature, so we’re planning to update your line with the required plan soon.

Yes, the carrier everyone loves to hate is cracking down on unauthorized tethering - and they are automatically switching violators onto AT&T's 4GB data plan with tethering access, at a steep $45 a month.