Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet will come out of the box with the latest version of Android Honeycomb 3.1.
A Wi-Fi-only edition of Galaxy Tab 10.1 is due to hit the consumer market on June 8. The 16GB version is expected to cost $499, while the 32GB version will run $599.
As the first upgrade to Honeycomb, Android 3.1 offers several fixes and well as improvements to the browser, Gmail, and other features. Nvidia's outspoken CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, who has criticized earlier versions of Android--even pointing to certain shortcomings in Honeycomb 3.0--has been pleased with version 3.1. He called it "delightful." The 3.1 update has already started rolling out for Motorola's Xoom tablet.
Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20066443-251.html#ixzz1NdrxsLkI
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Android Application Weekly 27 May 2011
In this episode of the Android Application Weekly we demonstrate some apps that will help you find that next geocache site, make free phone calls over a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection, and keep applications and folders on your Android secure. To download these directly to your Android smartphone or tablet just take a picture of the QR-Code using Google Goggles or any other QR-Code scanner to be taken directly to the Android Market.
Read more: http://pocketnow.com/android/android-application-weekly-27-may-2011
Read more: http://pocketnow.com/android/android-application-weekly-27-may-2011
Google Launches Wallet NFC Payment System for Android
Google announced Thursday Google Wallet, a near field communications (NFC) payment system that will turn an Android device into a mobile payment system. Wallet is being introduced in San Francisco and New York City as test markets, and it was developed with Citibank, Mastercard, Sprint and First Data.
Wallet will allow users to pay for their transactions using their Android device through the Google Wallet app. Such payment solutions have been a hot topic for the last couple of years as NFC implementations have begun rolling out outside the U.S., especially in Asia. Handset makers, banks, and telecoms see the use of NFC solutions as money making operations, and both Apple and Google have been rumored to be developing NFC payment systems for their smartphone platforms.
Google’s announcement Thursday means that the Android maker is first to market, though with a limited test run, it’s far from a fully implemented system. In addition, NFC payment solutions not only require secure software, they also require both smartphone hardware and merchant hardware to be able to conduct the transactions.
To that end, Wallet is being rolled out as a hook into Mastercard’s existing PayPass network. Mastercard claims 124,000 PayPass-enabled merchants nationally and more than 311,000 globally, though it’s not yet clear how many of those merchants have the NFC gear needed to make use of Wallet.
In addition, the only Android device capable of making use of Google Wallet is the Nexus S 4G, an Android device for Sprint’s network. T-Mobile also has a Nexus S, but that version of the device was not included in today’s announcement, which focused on Sprint.
Google Wallet is not, however, intended to be limited to Citibank and Sprint. In its announcement, the company said, “Google Wallet will work best if it’s an open commerce ecosystem so you will be able to carry all the credit cards, offers, loyalty and gift cards you choose—and eventually much more. To this end, Google Wallet will make it possible to integrate numerous types of partners, and Google, Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint invite the banking community, mobile carriers, handset manufacturers, merchants and others to work with Google Wallet.”
Wallet will allow users to pay for their transactions using their Android device through the Google Wallet app. Such payment solutions have been a hot topic for the last couple of years as NFC implementations have begun rolling out outside the U.S., especially in Asia. Handset makers, banks, and telecoms see the use of NFC solutions as money making operations, and both Apple and Google have been rumored to be developing NFC payment systems for their smartphone platforms.
Google’s announcement Thursday means that the Android maker is first to market, though with a limited test run, it’s far from a fully implemented system. In addition, NFC payment solutions not only require secure software, they also require both smartphone hardware and merchant hardware to be able to conduct the transactions.
To that end, Wallet is being rolled out as a hook into Mastercard’s existing PayPass network. Mastercard claims 124,000 PayPass-enabled merchants nationally and more than 311,000 globally, though it’s not yet clear how many of those merchants have the NFC gear needed to make use of Wallet.
In addition, the only Android device capable of making use of Google Wallet is the Nexus S 4G, an Android device for Sprint’s network. T-Mobile also has a Nexus S, but that version of the device was not included in today’s announcement, which focused on Sprint.
Google Wallet is not, however, intended to be limited to Citibank and Sprint. In its announcement, the company said, “Google Wallet will work best if it’s an open commerce ecosystem so you will be able to carry all the credit cards, offers, loyalty and gift cards you choose—and eventually much more. To this end, Google Wallet will make it possible to integrate numerous types of partners, and Google, Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint invite the banking community, mobile carriers, handset manufacturers, merchants and others to work with Google Wallet.”
Amazon Cuts Android Phone Prices for Memorial Day
Amazon is offering big Memorial Day discounts on 4G smartphones such as the pricey Samsung Droid Charge, Motorola Atrix 4G and other handsets.
When shoppers go to Amazon Wireless, the e-commerce giant's mobile gadget subsidiary, they will find roughly 18 4G Android handsets and the HP Veer 4G WebOS phone on sale through 11:59 PDT May 30.
Verizon Wireless normally sells the Droid Charge subsidized for $299.99 with a contract. Amazon Wireless is now offering this fun phone for $179.99. The kicker is that buyers must take a two-year contract with Verizon for the extra subsidy.
The Atrix 4G, which AT&T has been selling for $199.99 since February, now costs $99 through Amazon Wireless. Consumers may also buy AT&T's Samsung Infuse 4G Android phone, which normally retails for $199.99, for $129.99. Ditto for Verizon's HTC ThunderBolt.
Sprint and T-Mobile aren't being shut out of the Android sell-off either. T-Mobile's G2x 4G, which retails for $199.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate, can now be bought for $99.99.
Sprint's Samsung Nexus S 4G, normally a $199.99 gadget with contract, now runs an incredibly low $49.99. Considering that this is the only smartphone that will work with Google's Wallet service when it launches in New York and San Francisco this summer, that could prove quite a bargain for those who want to test the NFC-based mobile payment waters.
Amazon Wireless is also offering an Amazon Student exclusive in the form of a $10 Appstore credit with the purchase of the Sony Xperia Play, now through June 4.
Finally, anyone who buys a Windows Phone 7 handset from May 30 on will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This discount comes as Microsoft is struggling to sell smartphones based on its new mobile operating system.
Gartner said that of the 3.6 million phones running a Microsoft mobile OS sold worldwide in Q1, only 1.6 million were based on Windows Phone 7.
Gartner added that these devices failed to catch on as consumers bought Android phones or Apple's iPhone for the holiday season. Android grabbed 36 percent market share for the quarter, while Apple's iOS came in third with 16.8 percent of the market.
When shoppers go to Amazon Wireless, the e-commerce giant's mobile gadget subsidiary, they will find roughly 18 4G Android handsets and the HP Veer 4G WebOS phone on sale through 11:59 PDT May 30.
Verizon Wireless normally sells the Droid Charge subsidized for $299.99 with a contract. Amazon Wireless is now offering this fun phone for $179.99. The kicker is that buyers must take a two-year contract with Verizon for the extra subsidy.
The Atrix 4G, which AT&T has been selling for $199.99 since February, now costs $99 through Amazon Wireless. Consumers may also buy AT&T's Samsung Infuse 4G Android phone, which normally retails for $199.99, for $129.99. Ditto for Verizon's HTC ThunderBolt.
Sprint and T-Mobile aren't being shut out of the Android sell-off either. T-Mobile's G2x 4G, which retails for $199.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate, can now be bought for $99.99.
Sprint's Samsung Nexus S 4G, normally a $199.99 gadget with contract, now runs an incredibly low $49.99. Considering that this is the only smartphone that will work with Google's Wallet service when it launches in New York and San Francisco this summer, that could prove quite a bargain for those who want to test the NFC-based mobile payment waters.
Amazon Wireless is also offering an Amazon Student exclusive in the form of a $10 Appstore credit with the purchase of the Sony Xperia Play, now through June 4.
Finally, anyone who buys a Windows Phone 7 handset from May 30 on will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This discount comes as Microsoft is struggling to sell smartphones based on its new mobile operating system.
Gartner said that of the 3.6 million phones running a Microsoft mobile OS sold worldwide in Q1, only 1.6 million were based on Windows Phone 7.
Gartner added that these devices failed to catch on as consumers bought Android phones or Apple's iPhone for the holiday season. Android grabbed 36 percent market share for the quarter, while Apple's iOS came in third with 16.8 percent of the market.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Now On Sale at Barnes & Noble: Barnes & Noble
Remember how music downloading caused the disappearance of actual record stores? Well, the memory of that combined with actual increased levels of online e-book downloads has caused Barnes & Noble, the largest bookstore chain in the United States with more than 700 stores, to consider putting itself up for sale.
The precise quote from the board was that they were “considering strategic alternatives, including the possible sale of the company.” In light of its declining shares and the inability of the Nook to counter the digital book download phenomenon, “sale of the company” is likely the operative phrase.
To be fair, when it comes to e-readers, Barnes & Noble doesn’t do too badly, generating about 27% of e-book sales, second to Amazon which accounts for 58% of the category sales. According to this year’s Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, those brands rank as follows:
1. Kindle
2. Nook
3. Sony
4. Kobo
5. iPad
Investors are challenging Leonard Riggio, B&N Founder and director. Billionaire, Ronald Burkle has increased his ownership stake and last week Liberty Media offered $17 a share – or just over a $1 billion – for the company. As the stock has risen in recent days, a shareholder fight looms.
The particular story may have a surprise ending, but the plot twist in the category of bricks and mortar bookstores has already been written—and it’s a non-fiction story when it comes to the increasing dominance of e-readers. Either way, Barnes and Noble has found itself in the self-help section, trying to avoid the clearance bin.
The precise quote from the board was that they were “considering strategic alternatives, including the possible sale of the company.” In light of its declining shares and the inability of the Nook to counter the digital book download phenomenon, “sale of the company” is likely the operative phrase.
To be fair, when it comes to e-readers, Barnes & Noble doesn’t do too badly, generating about 27% of e-book sales, second to Amazon which accounts for 58% of the category sales. According to this year’s Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, those brands rank as follows:
1. Kindle
2. Nook
3. Sony
4. Kobo
5. iPad
Investors are challenging Leonard Riggio, B&N Founder and director. Billionaire, Ronald Burkle has increased his ownership stake and last week Liberty Media offered $17 a share – or just over a $1 billion – for the company. As the stock has risen in recent days, a shareholder fight looms.
The particular story may have a surprise ending, but the plot twist in the category of bricks and mortar bookstores has already been written—and it’s a non-fiction story when it comes to the increasing dominance of e-readers. Either way, Barnes and Noble has found itself in the self-help section, trying to avoid the clearance bin.
The Amazon Tablet: Everything you need to know
2011 will forever be known as the year that tablet devices became a mainstream phenomenon. So far, we’ve seen around 50 separate releases worldwide since MWC 2011 and CES 2011 and there’s still plenty more to come. But possibly one of the biggest of all these soon-to-be-announced tablets is Amazon’s Android-powered device – or devices.
Why? Simple: Amazon is a serious force to be reckoned with and could go on to cause a lot of problems for Google, Apple et al. For instance, not only does Amazon have some serious sway in the online shopping market, but it also has a whole host of services, such as Cloud Player, Amazon Apps and Kindle, that’ll match both Google’s and Apple’s retail and commercial offerings blow-for-blow.
In this respect, Amazon has a big advantage over pretty much every other Android tablet manufacturer out there, including Samsung, LG and Motorola. And all of this is before we even begin to look at the rumoured spec that Amazon’s tablet is reported to be packing. In short, Amazon could very well be the company that finally takes a bite out of Apple’s tablet market share.
Build
At present, very little is known about the Amazon tablet devices. Of course, there are rumours a plenty, but nothing currently concrete regarding build quality, materials or general design. Both LG and Samsung have been named as potential manufacturers – we’re hoping for Samsung – and there’s said to be two tablets on the way: a 7-inch one and a 10-inch one.
If we had to hazard a guess, we’d say that the devices will be thin, utilise Gorilla Glass displays, support microSD and, potentially, HDMI for mirroring and sharing videos to compatible devices. There’ll no doubt two cameras – front and back –, microSD support and some form of USB connectivity, most likely MicroUSB for charging and syncing.
Operating System
All of Amazon’s up-and-coming tablet devices will be powered by Google’s Android operating system. The only thing we’re not sure of is which iteration they’ll feature. At present, there’s no word on release dates, so it’s difficult to pinpoint which version of Android they’ll use.
That said, some reports have suggested a Q4 release, just in time for Christmas, and if this is the case the devices will no doubt be powered by Android Ice Cream Sandwich. If not, it’ll most likely be Android 3.1 – although, this will obviously be dependant on when Google rolls out the new platform.
Amazon already has an Android Apps Store in place, so users buying the Amazon tablet devices will be able to bypass the Android Market and, we’d assume, use one click buying on Amazon’s version via their Amazon accounts. This could be a serious blow to Google’s Android Market – and is no doubt something Google is already very aware of.
Services
In terms of services, Amazon has pretty much all the bases covered with its Kindle app, Cloud Player service and its newly launched Android Apps Market.
No other tablet manufacturer, bar Apple, of course, has this level of services at their disposal. In this sense, we expect Amazon to be a serious threat to Apple’s current domination of the tablet market place.
Amazon has the services, hardware and operating system to really make Apple’s life difficult. It’ll also introduce one-click app purchasing as well, which could very well deliver a deathblow to Google’s Android Market – especially if Amazon sweeten the deal for developers a little.
‘On the face of it,’ says Robert Bamforth, Quocirca Analyst, ‘Amazon could be more of a threat than other tablet companies as it can offer the complete proposition. Ultimately, this isn't about tablets - who has the biggest screen, best OS, fastest graphics, USB ports or even Flash support – it's about end-to-end user experience.’
Either way, it’s going to be a very interesting period. Change, could very well, be on the way.
Why? Simple: Amazon is a serious force to be reckoned with and could go on to cause a lot of problems for Google, Apple et al. For instance, not only does Amazon have some serious sway in the online shopping market, but it also has a whole host of services, such as Cloud Player, Amazon Apps and Kindle, that’ll match both Google’s and Apple’s retail and commercial offerings blow-for-blow.
In this respect, Amazon has a big advantage over pretty much every other Android tablet manufacturer out there, including Samsung, LG and Motorola. And all of this is before we even begin to look at the rumoured spec that Amazon’s tablet is reported to be packing. In short, Amazon could very well be the company that finally takes a bite out of Apple’s tablet market share.
Build
At present, very little is known about the Amazon tablet devices. Of course, there are rumours a plenty, but nothing currently concrete regarding build quality, materials or general design. Both LG and Samsung have been named as potential manufacturers – we’re hoping for Samsung – and there’s said to be two tablets on the way: a 7-inch one and a 10-inch one.
If we had to hazard a guess, we’d say that the devices will be thin, utilise Gorilla Glass displays, support microSD and, potentially, HDMI for mirroring and sharing videos to compatible devices. There’ll no doubt two cameras – front and back –, microSD support and some form of USB connectivity, most likely MicroUSB for charging and syncing.
Operating System
All of Amazon’s up-and-coming tablet devices will be powered by Google’s Android operating system. The only thing we’re not sure of is which iteration they’ll feature. At present, there’s no word on release dates, so it’s difficult to pinpoint which version of Android they’ll use.
That said, some reports have suggested a Q4 release, just in time for Christmas, and if this is the case the devices will no doubt be powered by Android Ice Cream Sandwich. If not, it’ll most likely be Android 3.1 – although, this will obviously be dependant on when Google rolls out the new platform.
Amazon already has an Android Apps Store in place, so users buying the Amazon tablet devices will be able to bypass the Android Market and, we’d assume, use one click buying on Amazon’s version via their Amazon accounts. This could be a serious blow to Google’s Android Market – and is no doubt something Google is already very aware of.
Services
In terms of services, Amazon has pretty much all the bases covered with its Kindle app, Cloud Player service and its newly launched Android Apps Market.
No other tablet manufacturer, bar Apple, of course, has this level of services at their disposal. In this sense, we expect Amazon to be a serious threat to Apple’s current domination of the tablet market place.
Amazon has the services, hardware and operating system to really make Apple’s life difficult. It’ll also introduce one-click app purchasing as well, which could very well deliver a deathblow to Google’s Android Market – especially if Amazon sweeten the deal for developers a little.
‘On the face of it,’ says Robert Bamforth, Quocirca Analyst, ‘Amazon could be more of a threat than other tablet companies as it can offer the complete proposition. Ultimately, this isn't about tablets - who has the biggest screen, best OS, fastest graphics, USB ports or even Flash support – it's about end-to-end user experience.’
Either way, it’s going to be a very interesting period. Change, could very well, be on the way.
Amazon Tablets Sport Android, Tegra Quad-Core Chips: Bajarin
Amazon.com is aiming to release at least one tablet computer based on Google's Android operating system in time for the holiday 2011 season, said an industry analyst May 23.
Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin, who spoke to sources in Tapiei where many computers are manufactured, said in a PC Magazine piece that the bookseller-turned-mobile-device maker plans on releasing a 10-inch tablet, and possibly a 7-inch tablet later this year.
The tablets, which will challenge Apple's iPad, the Android-based Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab slates, Research in Motion's Blackberry PlayBook, as well as the HP TouchPad, will feature LCD screens, support Adobe Flash and run Nvidia's Tegra quad-core chip.
Bajarin's report is the latest in a pile of evidence that has been steadily mounting since Amazon launched its Amazon Appstore for Android in March.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stoked the fire 10 days ago when he told Consumer Reports to "stay tuned" on the topic of an Amazon tablet. One week before that, Taipei-based DigiTimes said Quanta has received tablet orders from Amazon.
One month ago, Engadget and gdgt Co-founder Peter Rojas said he's almost certain Amazon is having Samsung build a tablet that could run a custom version of Android rather than the Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" tablet OS. Rojas said such a device could launch as soon as this summer.
Now Bajarin said a tablet device will use a display similar to the one in the Nook and the Galaxy Tab, though Amazon originally wanted a screen that could switch between the black and white E Ink-like display consumers are accustomed to using on Amazon's Kindle and a color LCD.
However, such a screen will not be ready for the market until at least 2012 or early 2013, the analyst said. In the meantime, he expects the 7-inch tablet to be priced at $349, with a 10-inch model offered for $449. Such aggressive prices undercut the $499 pricing for the 7-inch Galaxy Tab on Verizon Wireless and undercut the entry-level iPad by $50.
Bajarin is intrigued that Amazon is entering such a competitive tablet market, with tens of devices following the hype cycle Apple started with its iPad in April 2010. The iPad and iPad 2 combined to sell over 20 million units to date.
By contrast, the much younger Xoom and Blackberry PlayBook may have sold 500,000 units combined over the last two months.
While many experts like to gauge new tablet offerings as possible iPad slayers, Bajarin believes Amazon is trying to whip the Xoom, the Galaxy Tab family (Tab 7, Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9) and other Android tablets suffering from a more fragmented user experience.
Consider that tablets are media consumption systems. It behooves tablet makers to provide a simple ramp to media services, similar to the way Apple has done with its iPad. With its Android application store, Web-based music and movies, and books, Amazon can provide an efficient ramp to its own media services.
"I believe Amazon looked at the Android market and saw that it was becoming fragmented and that it would be quite difficult for any of these players to create their own fully integrated app store, media cloud and storage solution. As I stated earlier, any Android competitor can only do this in a piece meal fashion, not in a highly integrated manner,” Bajarin said.
"This is why I believe Amazon is quite confident about entering the crowded tablet market. It knows that combining its own app store with its content and storage would allow it to compete extremely well with Motorola, Samsung, RIM and all of the other tablet vendors, since its offering would be pretty close to what Apple has," he said.
If Amazon can do this effectively, it may easily become the iPad's toughest competitor to date.
Creative Strategies analyst Tim Bajarin, who spoke to sources in Tapiei where many computers are manufactured, said in a PC Magazine piece that the bookseller-turned-mobile-device maker plans on releasing a 10-inch tablet, and possibly a 7-inch tablet later this year.
The tablets, which will challenge Apple's iPad, the Android-based Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab slates, Research in Motion's Blackberry PlayBook, as well as the HP TouchPad, will feature LCD screens, support Adobe Flash and run Nvidia's Tegra quad-core chip.
Bajarin's report is the latest in a pile of evidence that has been steadily mounting since Amazon launched its Amazon Appstore for Android in March.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stoked the fire 10 days ago when he told Consumer Reports to "stay tuned" on the topic of an Amazon tablet. One week before that, Taipei-based DigiTimes said Quanta has received tablet orders from Amazon.
One month ago, Engadget and gdgt Co-founder Peter Rojas said he's almost certain Amazon is having Samsung build a tablet that could run a custom version of Android rather than the Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" tablet OS. Rojas said such a device could launch as soon as this summer.
Now Bajarin said a tablet device will use a display similar to the one in the Nook and the Galaxy Tab, though Amazon originally wanted a screen that could switch between the black and white E Ink-like display consumers are accustomed to using on Amazon's Kindle and a color LCD.
However, such a screen will not be ready for the market until at least 2012 or early 2013, the analyst said. In the meantime, he expects the 7-inch tablet to be priced at $349, with a 10-inch model offered for $449. Such aggressive prices undercut the $499 pricing for the 7-inch Galaxy Tab on Verizon Wireless and undercut the entry-level iPad by $50.
Bajarin is intrigued that Amazon is entering such a competitive tablet market, with tens of devices following the hype cycle Apple started with its iPad in April 2010. The iPad and iPad 2 combined to sell over 20 million units to date.
By contrast, the much younger Xoom and Blackberry PlayBook may have sold 500,000 units combined over the last two months.
While many experts like to gauge new tablet offerings as possible iPad slayers, Bajarin believes Amazon is trying to whip the Xoom, the Galaxy Tab family (Tab 7, Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9) and other Android tablets suffering from a more fragmented user experience.
Consider that tablets are media consumption systems. It behooves tablet makers to provide a simple ramp to media services, similar to the way Apple has done with its iPad. With its Android application store, Web-based music and movies, and books, Amazon can provide an efficient ramp to its own media services.
"I believe Amazon looked at the Android market and saw that it was becoming fragmented and that it would be quite difficult for any of these players to create their own fully integrated app store, media cloud and storage solution. As I stated earlier, any Android competitor can only do this in a piece meal fashion, not in a highly integrated manner,” Bajarin said.
"This is why I believe Amazon is quite confident about entering the crowded tablet market. It knows that combining its own app store with its content and storage would allow it to compete extremely well with Motorola, Samsung, RIM and all of the other tablet vendors, since its offering would be pretty close to what Apple has," he said.
If Amazon can do this effectively, it may easily become the iPad's toughest competitor to date.
Acer to produce Android tablet with Intel inside?
Acer is reported to be readying an Android tablet based on the Intel Oak Trail processor for the July timeframe. The Android Honeycomb tablet is allegedly in mass production according to suppliers, thus the rapid release time. Intel has been desperately putting pressure on mobile device makers to get its processors in shipping products. The company has been slapped in the face by Microsoft recently, first with the deal with Nokia that kicked MeeGo to the curb and then with the push to get Windows running on the ARM platform.
While it makes sense that Intel needs to get a position in the mobile segment, especially tablets, it’s not clear what benefits Intel chips will bring to Andtel products. Devices with Intel inside usually get worse battery life than those with ARM or Nvidia Tegra 2 processors, and that is a key area. Tablets are different from laptops as Intel will no doubt discover, as they cannot be used while being charged as can notebooks. A tablet with a dead battery is a big paperweight, thus battery life for them needs to be rated in days, not hours as is the case with Intel products. Tablets must last all day on a single charge of the battery, without exception, and it’s not clear Intel can deliver that.
Tablets running with ARM and Tegra processors are plenty powerful enough to handle anything that users need to get done, so while Intel Oak Trail might handle heavier loads than the competition it really isn’t necessary. Tablets running non-Intel chips are good enough already, so Intel must come up with a compelling reason for consumers to switch. That pretty much just leaves pricing, an area Intel has not been able to successfully compete with the other guys.
While it makes sense that Intel needs to get a position in the mobile segment, especially tablets, it’s not clear what benefits Intel chips will bring to Andtel products. Devices with Intel inside usually get worse battery life than those with ARM or Nvidia Tegra 2 processors, and that is a key area. Tablets are different from laptops as Intel will no doubt discover, as they cannot be used while being charged as can notebooks. A tablet with a dead battery is a big paperweight, thus battery life for them needs to be rated in days, not hours as is the case with Intel products. Tablets must last all day on a single charge of the battery, without exception, and it’s not clear Intel can deliver that.
Tablets running with ARM and Tegra processors are plenty powerful enough to handle anything that users need to get done, so while Intel Oak Trail might handle heavier loads than the competition it really isn’t necessary. Tablets running non-Intel chips are good enough already, so Intel must come up with a compelling reason for consumers to switch. That pretty much just leaves pricing, an area Intel has not been able to successfully compete with the other guys.
Apple and Android big winners in smartphone market for Q1
Android became the most popular smartphone operating system worldwide in the first quarter of 2011, while Apple saw its share of the market grow, according to a report Gartner issued Thursday on sales of mobile phones to end users.
Overall mobile phone sales totaled 427.8 million units in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 19 percent from the same period in 2010. Smartphone sales added up to 100.8 million, compared to 54.5 million in Q1 last year. They now account for 23.6 percent of mobile phone sales, an increase of 85 percent since the first quarter of 2010, according to Gartner.
Android is leaving other operating systems in the dust, growing its market share in one year from 9.6 percent to 36 percent, Gartner reported. Its lead over Symbian is now almost 10 million as it ran on 36.3 million smartphones sold versus Symbian's 27.6 million. Symbian's market share, on the other hand, has dropped from 44.2 percent to 27.4 percent. Sales of smartphones based on the operating system increased, but couldn't keep up with Android's phenomenal growth.
While Apple was the fourth-place finisher in the quarter's smartphone rankings, it sold 16.9 million units to end users worldwide, more than doubling sales of its iPhones year-on-year, helping the company's market share grow from 2.3 percent to 3.9 percent.
Overall mobile phone sales totaled 427.8 million units in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 19 percent from the same period in 2010. Smartphone sales added up to 100.8 million, compared to 54.5 million in Q1 last year. They now account for 23.6 percent of mobile phone sales, an increase of 85 percent since the first quarter of 2010, according to Gartner.
Android is leaving other operating systems in the dust, growing its market share in one year from 9.6 percent to 36 percent, Gartner reported. Its lead over Symbian is now almost 10 million as it ran on 36.3 million smartphones sold versus Symbian's 27.6 million. Symbian's market share, on the other hand, has dropped from 44.2 percent to 27.4 percent. Sales of smartphones based on the operating system increased, but couldn't keep up with Android's phenomenal growth.
While Apple was the fourth-place finisher in the quarter's smartphone rankings, it sold 16.9 million units to end users worldwide, more than doubling sales of its iPhones year-on-year, helping the company's market share grow from 2.3 percent to 3.9 percent.
Dell Streak hacked successfully, runs on Android 3.1 Honeycomb
Hats off to DJ_Steve from the XDA developers forum who has managed to successfully make Android 3.1 Honeycomb run on the Dell Streak – this is no mean task, considering the operating system was optimized for tablet use, making it a quantum leap of sorts from the Streak’s standard Android 2.2 Froyo operating system. Needless to say, the hack isn’t perfect – but it works. There are still a fair number of bugs to be worked out, and we do hope that additional details on the hack will be shared in due time.
Among the bugs involved include the 7″ tablet’s low native resolution of 800 x 480 pixels – that would mean having the Streak revert to an Android 2.3 user interface which is hidden within Android 3.1, hence making it necessary to increase the pixel density – this is normally the reversal that is done with Android devices. Apart from that, there is a not-so-urgent issue of the Streak being unable to awake from its slumber whenever it isn’t plugged in – this means you will need to turn it on again or go ahead for a reset.
There is also an older version of the Market and Music app which isn’t the same as the one on the Motorola Xoom and Transformer, while a messaging app has been built right into it as well. You willing to give it a go?
Among the bugs involved include the 7″ tablet’s low native resolution of 800 x 480 pixels – that would mean having the Streak revert to an Android 2.3 user interface which is hidden within Android 3.1, hence making it necessary to increase the pixel density – this is normally the reversal that is done with Android devices. Apart from that, there is a not-so-urgent issue of the Streak being unable to awake from its slumber whenever it isn’t plugged in – this means you will need to turn it on again or go ahead for a reset.
There is also an older version of the Market and Music app which isn’t the same as the one on the Motorola Xoom and Transformer, while a messaging app has been built right into it as well. You willing to give it a go?
Miro 4.0 arrives with Android & IPv6 support
After more than six months of development, the Miro development team has announced the release of version 4.0 of its cross-platform open source HD Internet TV/podcast downloader and player. According to the developers, the latest version of the free music and video player makes transferring media from Miro to portable devices, such as Android phones and other players, even easier.
Miro 4.0 features what the developers call a "fast, seamless, easy and consistent syncing experience" on Android devices. In a press release, Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF) President Dave Glassco says that "Android phones are surpassing iPhone’s market share, but most people still use iTunes on their desktop. The desktop player has been a missing component for managing media on Android devices," adding that, "This points to the problem Miro 4 is addressing – the open ecosystem needs a great desktop music and video experience."
Read more: http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Miro-4-0-arrives-with-Android-IPv6-support-1248108.html
Miro 4.0 features what the developers call a "fast, seamless, easy and consistent syncing experience" on Android devices. In a press release, Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF) President Dave Glassco says that "Android phones are surpassing iPhone’s market share, but most people still use iTunes on their desktop. The desktop player has been a missing component for managing media on Android devices," adding that, "This points to the problem Miro 4 is addressing – the open ecosystem needs a great desktop music and video experience."
Read more: http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Miro-4-0-arrives-with-Android-IPv6-support-1248108.html
Monday, May 23, 2011
How to root Motorola Xoom on Android Honeycomb 3.1?
If you have recently upgraded your Motorola Xoom to Honeycomb 3.1 than you will have many chances to lose root Access on your Tablet. However, you can follow these simple instructions to root Motorola Xoom on Honeycomb 3.1.
Read more: http://maboot.com/how-to-root-motorola-xoom-on-android-honeycomb-3-1/2007/
Read more: http://maboot.com/how-to-root-motorola-xoom-on-android-honeycomb-3-1/2007/
Android 3.1 Update: Coming to More Tablets in June
Our Motorola Xoom Tablet has been updated to Android 3.1, but it looks like other tablets will receive a similar update soon. Italian site Eee PC.it has been saying that the Asus Eee Transformer Pad will be upgraded in early June. This comes from an official source at Asus Italy.
In the meantime, thisismynext says that the Acer Icona Tab A500 will get the update as well. Others should follow, but keep in mind that each manufacturer might have some work to do, if they have customized the software or pre-installed apps.At the Google IO, Google had promised faster updates and this might be a hint of things to come. If you have missed the boat on Android 3.1, it is basically an update to 3.1 tweaks the overall performance, makes widgets resizable (convenient for emails…) and adds the ability to talk to USB devices (keyboard, mice, and more).
As a special partner, Motorola got the update first, and we wonder which company will have that coveted spot next time…
In the meantime, thisismynext says that the Acer Icona Tab A500 will get the update as well. Others should follow, but keep in mind that each manufacturer might have some work to do, if they have customized the software or pre-installed apps.At the Google IO, Google had promised faster updates and this might be a hint of things to come. If you have missed the boat on Android 3.1, it is basically an update to 3.1 tweaks the overall performance, makes widgets resizable (convenient for emails…) and adds the ability to talk to USB devices (keyboard, mice, and more).
As a special partner, Motorola got the update first, and we wonder which company will have that coveted spot next time…
Sunday, May 22, 2011
StreakDroid7 brings Google Android 3.1 to the Dell Streak 7
That certainly didn’t take long. Shortly after demonstrating that Google Android 3.1 could run on the Dell Streak 7, independent developer DJ-Steve has released StreakDroid7 HD v1.0 for anyone to install on the tablet.
The software has a few quirks. For instance, if you let the Streak go to sleep while it isn’t plugged in, it will power off and you’ll need to power it up from scratch. But StreakDroid7 HD v1.0 give syou the Google ANdroid 3.1 user interface, support for the Google Andorid Market, and other goodies. The custom ROM for the Dell Streak 7 also includes root access.
Before installing the firmware you’re going to want to back up all the files and data on your internal storage because the installation process will erase everything in storage.
You can find instructions for installing Android 3.1 on the tablet at the xda-developers forum.
The software has a few quirks. For instance, if you let the Streak go to sleep while it isn’t plugged in, it will power off and you’ll need to power it up from scratch. But StreakDroid7 HD v1.0 give syou the Google ANdroid 3.1 user interface, support for the Google Andorid Market, and other goodies. The custom ROM for the Dell Streak 7 also includes root access.
Before installing the firmware you’re going to want to back up all the files and data on your internal storage because the installation process will erase everything in storage.
You can find instructions for installing Android 3.1 on the tablet at the xda-developers forum.
Google is patching the Android security hole
In the wake of the revelation that there’s a huge security hole in Android’s Wi-Fi communications with Google applications, Google told me and other journalists on May 18th that, “Today we’re starting to roll out a fix which addresses a potential security flaw that could, under certain circumstances, allow a third party access to data available in calendar and contacts. This fix requires no action from users and will roll out globally over the next few days.” Fair enough, but how?
Specifically, I asked Google, “Is this a server-side fix? A client-side fix that will be rolled out as an automatically applied patch? A change in the client settings to force the use of a secure connection? Some combination of all these? Will this ‘fix’ be deployed to other apps that use ClientLogin [the routine that has the security problem]? Is it a ‘fix’ to ClientLogin? Any details on how the fix will be deployed? In the U.S. first? Via the various carriers? OEMs?”
And Google answered, well, actually they never did answer. Darn it!
So, here’s what I think Google is doing. I believe it must be a server-side fix since that’s the one way Google can roll it out quickly and without getting the phone carriers and OEMs involved. The easiest way to do that is to simply disallow ClientLogin from working over any open, non-secured Wi-Fi connection. It’s a kludge, but it should work.
At least, unlike Apple with its growing Mac Defender malware problem, Google admits to the problem and is addressing it. Apple still isn’t even allowing its technical support staff to tell users how to rid themselves of malware.
If, as I suspect, Google is handling this on the server side, I believe the Android hole should be closed up within the week. I just wish I knew more about exactly how Google is going about this. Google? The ball is in your court now.
Related Stories:
Android has a gaping network security hole
The truth about the latest Google Android security scare (Updated)
99.7% of all Android smartphones vulnerable to serious data leakage
Most Android devices vulnerable to identity theft
Connect to a PPTP VPN from your Android phone
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Specifically, I asked Google, “Is this a server-side fix? A client-side fix that will be rolled out as an automatically applied patch? A change in the client settings to force the use of a secure connection? Some combination of all these? Will this ‘fix’ be deployed to other apps that use ClientLogin [the routine that has the security problem]? Is it a ‘fix’ to ClientLogin? Any details on how the fix will be deployed? In the U.S. first? Via the various carriers? OEMs?”
And Google answered, well, actually they never did answer. Darn it!
So, here’s what I think Google is doing. I believe it must be a server-side fix since that’s the one way Google can roll it out quickly and without getting the phone carriers and OEMs involved. The easiest way to do that is to simply disallow ClientLogin from working over any open, non-secured Wi-Fi connection. It’s a kludge, but it should work.
At least, unlike Apple with its growing Mac Defender malware problem, Google admits to the problem and is addressing it. Apple still isn’t even allowing its technical support staff to tell users how to rid themselves of malware.
If, as I suspect, Google is handling this on the server side, I believe the Android hole should be closed up within the week. I just wish I knew more about exactly how Google is going about this. Google? The ball is in your court now.
Related Stories:
Android has a gaping network security hole
The truth about the latest Google Android security scare (Updated)
99.7% of all Android smartphones vulnerable to serious data leakage
Most Android devices vulnerable to identity theft
Connect to a PPTP VPN from your Android phone
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Google Blocks Android Movie Rentals on Rooted Devices
Excited for your first big movie rental on an Android device? If you've rooted your phone or tablet, guess again: Rooted Android users can't watch Android Market movie rentals.
That's the latest news from Android Central, which found that users attempting to use the Android Market's new movie rental service—officially unveiled at this year's Google I/O conference—receive a specific error message on rooted Android devices: "Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49)."
And Google's not being shy about the exact reason why this error message occurs.
"You'll receive this 'Error 49' message if you attempt to play a movie on a rooted device. Rooted devices are currently unsupported due to requirements related to copyright protection," reads an associated help article.
It's a rather odd line in the sand by Google, given that competing devices and rental services—cough Apple's iPhone and Netflix cough—don't punish jailbroken devices trying to access video rentals. Heck, even Android's Netflix application works fine on a rooted device. In fact, it's the only way to use the Netflix app on device that isn't one of the five phones the app initially supports.
That said, Apple did initially prohibit jailbroken devices from using its iBooks app in a February update to the software.
"It seems that before opening a DRMed book, iBooks drops an improperly signed binary, tries to execute it, and if it works concludes that the device is jailbroken and refuses to open the book," wrote Apple exploiter Comex at the time.
So what's a rooted user to do about Android Market movie rentals? If you're insistent on maintaining your superuser privileges on your device, you need merely wait: There's undoubtedly some kind of fix or third-party patch in the works that will eventually allow root users to tap into Android Market rentals—it's the nature of unlocking a device. As soon as some kind of restriction to content is put in place, it just sends the third-party development community into a tizzy to find a way around it.
There's no indication—official or otherwise—as to how a third-party app could otherwise interfere with a movie rental. Perhaps it's the movie studios, and not Google itself, that are hedging their bets against future apps that could somehow record, transfer, or rip an Android Market movie rental into a re-watchable file. But given the bitrate and quality of these files… would they really be that enticing of a target for would-be pirates?
For more from David, follow him on Twitter @TheDavidMurphy.
That's the latest news from Android Central, which found that users attempting to use the Android Market's new movie rental service—officially unveiled at this year's Google I/O conference—receive a specific error message on rooted Android devices: "Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49)."
And Google's not being shy about the exact reason why this error message occurs.
"You'll receive this 'Error 49' message if you attempt to play a movie on a rooted device. Rooted devices are currently unsupported due to requirements related to copyright protection," reads an associated help article.
It's a rather odd line in the sand by Google, given that competing devices and rental services—cough Apple's iPhone and Netflix cough—don't punish jailbroken devices trying to access video rentals. Heck, even Android's Netflix application works fine on a rooted device. In fact, it's the only way to use the Netflix app on device that isn't one of the five phones the app initially supports.
That said, Apple did initially prohibit jailbroken devices from using its iBooks app in a February update to the software.
"It seems that before opening a DRMed book, iBooks drops an improperly signed binary, tries to execute it, and if it works concludes that the device is jailbroken and refuses to open the book," wrote Apple exploiter Comex at the time.
So what's a rooted user to do about Android Market movie rentals? If you're insistent on maintaining your superuser privileges on your device, you need merely wait: There's undoubtedly some kind of fix or third-party patch in the works that will eventually allow root users to tap into Android Market rentals—it's the nature of unlocking a device. As soon as some kind of restriction to content is put in place, it just sends the third-party development community into a tizzy to find a way around it.
There's no indication—official or otherwise—as to how a third-party app could otherwise interfere with a movie rental. Perhaps it's the movie studios, and not Google itself, that are hedging their bets against future apps that could somehow record, transfer, or rip an Android Market movie rental into a re-watchable file. But given the bitrate and quality of these files… would they really be that enticing of a target for would-be pirates?
For more from David, follow him on Twitter @TheDavidMurphy.
Android 2.4 Ice Cream Sandwich explained
Summers and ice cream have always been intricately related but it seems its going to be special this summer. Reason? Well, its none other than Google that too will be joining the ice cream race this year, albeit the enhanced Android version that the search giant unveiled at the Google I/O event. Launch of the software would be held in the fourth quarter and the reason why its getting so much of media attention – well, the OS version would allow for all the features that were till now present on the Honeycomb to be ported to the smartphone and TV platforms also.
The OS – Android 2.4 – would now cater for all screen size and therefore become a truly multi device OS. One would also get access to the rich home screen widgets as well as the new launcher and multitasking facilities on their devices that would be running this later version OS. Fragmentation feature would also be available and this would allow for different parts of the screen being utilized for independently running applications. Scaleable user interfaces would also be a feature that would be available with this OS. Other features that are worth mentioning is the facial tracking feature which Google displayed during the keynote. This feature enables a device to capture the face of an individual, take note of certain parts of the face and distort them. Or the feature also allows for the device to follow any movement of the head and change a 3D model based on the movement of the head.
However, while there isn’t a whole lot of information available of the Android Ice Cream just yet, the little that we have been treated to is enough to tickle the taste buds and yearn for more. Google has an I/O conference schedules on May 10 and we hope to have a preview of the ice Cream version then. Android Ice Cream Sandwich build GRI17 is already under development.
via intomobile, via androidcommunity
The OS – Android 2.4 – would now cater for all screen size and therefore become a truly multi device OS. One would also get access to the rich home screen widgets as well as the new launcher and multitasking facilities on their devices that would be running this later version OS. Fragmentation feature would also be available and this would allow for different parts of the screen being utilized for independently running applications. Scaleable user interfaces would also be a feature that would be available with this OS. Other features that are worth mentioning is the facial tracking feature which Google displayed during the keynote. This feature enables a device to capture the face of an individual, take note of certain parts of the face and distort them. Or the feature also allows for the device to follow any movement of the head and change a 3D model based on the movement of the head.
However, while there isn’t a whole lot of information available of the Android Ice Cream just yet, the little that we have been treated to is enough to tickle the taste buds and yearn for more. Google has an I/O conference schedules on May 10 and we hope to have a preview of the ice Cream version then. Android Ice Cream Sandwich build GRI17 is already under development.
via intomobile, via androidcommunity
Google Android 3.1 comes to the Dell Streak 7 (unofficially)
The Dell Streak 7 features a dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, just like pretty much every tablet shipping with Google Android 3.x Honeycomb. But the Streak 7 comes with Android 2.2 which is looking a bit dated. Last month we saw that a hacker had figured out how to install custom ROMs with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, and now he’s back with Android 3.1 for the Streak 7.
Hacker DJ_Steve is still fine tuning the software so it’s not available to the public yet. For instance, you can’t wake the tablet from sleep unless it’s plugged in. But you can check out the first demo video after the break which shows the 7 inch tablet running Android 3.1.
The biggest problem, of course, is that the Dell Streak 7 has an 800 x 480 pixel display. While there are some software hacks that can let you cram a little more information on the screen, it won’t look as sharp as a screen with a higher native resolution.
Interestingly as part of the development process, hackers discovered that if you adjust the pixel density on a tablet running Honeycomb, you’ll end up seeing the Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread user interface. What’s odd is that using the lower pixel density shows you the Android 3.1 user interface on the Dell Streak 7, while a pixel density of 170ppi or higher shows you the Gingerbreaa UI. I would have thought it would be the other way around.
Hacker DJ_Steve is still fine tuning the software so it’s not available to the public yet. For instance, you can’t wake the tablet from sleep unless it’s plugged in. But you can check out the first demo video after the break which shows the 7 inch tablet running Android 3.1.
The biggest problem, of course, is that the Dell Streak 7 has an 800 x 480 pixel display. While there are some software hacks that can let you cram a little more information on the screen, it won’t look as sharp as a screen with a higher native resolution.
Interestingly as part of the development process, hackers discovered that if you adjust the pixel density on a tablet running Honeycomb, you’ll end up seeing the Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread user interface. What’s odd is that using the lower pixel density shows you the Android 3.1 user interface on the Dell Streak 7, while a pixel density of 170ppi or higher shows you the Gingerbreaa UI. I would have thought it would be the other way around.
Honeycomb 3.1 (first take): Small changes, missed opportunities
When Google announced Android 3.1 Honeycomb was coming to the Xoom last week, I was pretty excited. Honeycomb's already a great tablet OS, so any improvements could only add to its functionality and efficiency. Unfortunately the version 3.1 update was released over the air and was rolled out in spurts. Our Xoom didn't receive its update until earlier this week. Google detailed changes to expect, but I wanted to check and see just how well some of them were implemented.
Browser
Aside from a few annoyances, I thought the Chrome browser in Honeycomb 3.0.1 was well-made, but there's always room for improvement. The biggest change in version 3.1 is the updated Quick Controls feature.
With this enabled, swiping either left or right from the edge of the screen and pressing down will bring up the menu. Through Quick Controls, you can quickly get all the functionality of the normal browser, with the added benefit of being able to preview open tabs before selecting them.
Although I was dubious at first, after using Quick Controls for a few minutes, I actually now prefer it to the normal interface. It makes for a cleaner screen, and you still have quick access to options.
One of the cosmetic differences between Honeycomb and iOS is the smoothness of Web site scrolling and zooming. With version 3.0.1 the Xoom's performance was choppier in comparison. I liken it to watching a game run at 30 frames per second (fps) versus one running at 60fps. The 30fps game looks great, until you see the much smoother 60fps game running next to it. Google has addressed this by improving the smoothness of scrolling and zooming to a level comparable with the iPad 2.
Some sites default to their mobile or Android version, and the only way around this is to access the UA String by typing "about:debug" in the address bar, navigating to Settings>Debug>UAString, and then switching to Desktop. Unfortunately, with Honeycomb 3.1, if you're typing in the address bar, the colon key is unavailable. It's available in other fields, like Google search, however. Our workaround? Type "about:debug" in the search field, then copy it to the address bar. I'm still baffled as to why this particular detail was changed.
Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20061523-251.html#ixzz1N44wtmZu
Browser
Aside from a few annoyances, I thought the Chrome browser in Honeycomb 3.0.1 was well-made, but there's always room for improvement. The biggest change in version 3.1 is the updated Quick Controls feature.
With this enabled, swiping either left or right from the edge of the screen and pressing down will bring up the menu. Through Quick Controls, you can quickly get all the functionality of the normal browser, with the added benefit of being able to preview open tabs before selecting them.
Although I was dubious at first, after using Quick Controls for a few minutes, I actually now prefer it to the normal interface. It makes for a cleaner screen, and you still have quick access to options.
One of the cosmetic differences between Honeycomb and iOS is the smoothness of Web site scrolling and zooming. With version 3.0.1 the Xoom's performance was choppier in comparison. I liken it to watching a game run at 30 frames per second (fps) versus one running at 60fps. The 30fps game looks great, until you see the much smoother 60fps game running next to it. Google has addressed this by improving the smoothness of scrolling and zooming to a level comparable with the iPad 2.
Some sites default to their mobile or Android version, and the only way around this is to access the UA String by typing "about:debug" in the address bar, navigating to Settings>Debug>UAString, and then switching to Desktop. Unfortunately, with Honeycomb 3.1, if you're typing in the address bar, the colon key is unavailable. It's available in other fields, like Google search, however. Our workaround? Type "about:debug" in the search field, then copy it to the address bar. I'm still baffled as to why this particular detail was changed.
Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20061523-251.html#ixzz1N44wtmZu
Hands-On With Google's Android 3.1 Update
Google's long-awaited Android 3.1 update is slowly rolling out over-the-air to the Motorola Xoom, the first of the Honeycomb-based tablets to get the update. The non-3G Xoom on my desk finally got its update, and I got a chance to finally get some up-close time with the OS.
The update is a feast for the eyes, literally, since it corrects one major issue--the image rendering snafu in the Gallery app--and provides the flexibility of resizable widgets. However, in spite of the many niceties integrated into the front face of Android 3.1, I'd consider this update just a baby step towards fixing a wider swath of rough spots in Android Honeycomb.
Fixed: Image Rendering
Interestingly enough, the Android 3.1 developer revision notes don't appear to specify anything about fixing the image rendering problem. It's a problem I've written about multiple times before, simply because it was so confounding and unexpected to find in such a basic, core app. And because, frankly, Android 2.2-based tablets had no issues; who'd have expected Google to mess up something it was already getting right?
Of course, I had another reason for noticing the issue--and wanting it fixed. As a photographer, I can foresee a world in which a tablet can be a handy and unobtrusive tool in the field for spot-checking exposures and sharpness. Mind you, this can only be done if the image is being rendered properly--and the Gallery app struggled to do just that pre-3.1 update.
Read more: http://www.pcworld.com/article/228325/handson_with_googles_android_31_update.html
The update is a feast for the eyes, literally, since it corrects one major issue--the image rendering snafu in the Gallery app--and provides the flexibility of resizable widgets. However, in spite of the many niceties integrated into the front face of Android 3.1, I'd consider this update just a baby step towards fixing a wider swath of rough spots in Android Honeycomb.
Fixed: Image Rendering
Interestingly enough, the Android 3.1 developer revision notes don't appear to specify anything about fixing the image rendering problem. It's a problem I've written about multiple times before, simply because it was so confounding and unexpected to find in such a basic, core app. And because, frankly, Android 2.2-based tablets had no issues; who'd have expected Google to mess up something it was already getting right?
Of course, I had another reason for noticing the issue--and wanting it fixed. As a photographer, I can foresee a world in which a tablet can be a handy and unobtrusive tool in the field for spot-checking exposures and sharpness. Mind you, this can only be done if the image is being rendered properly--and the Gallery app struggled to do just that pre-3.1 update.
Read more: http://www.pcworld.com/article/228325/handson_with_googles_android_31_update.html
Thursday, May 19, 2011
10" Dell Streak Pro tablet moves beyond Froyo, but no 3D Tegra
Dell's upcoming 10-inch tablet is taking a more defined shape ahead of its expected June release. Tweaker claims that the 10-inch Dell Streak Pro will run Android 3.0 Honeycomb and will not get stuck with Android 2.2 Froyo as previously speculated, nor will it be part of Dell's Windows 7 tablet initiative. Contrary to older information, the Streak Pro also will not carry a 3D-capable Tegra chip, and therefore will not have a 3D screen.
Instead of the 3D-capable Tegra 2 T25 chip the Streak Pro was rumored to have, the tablet will instead have a Tegra 2 T20 dual-core chip clocked at 1GHz, as well as 1GB of RAM. According to Tweaker, the tablet is just over half an inch thick, will measure 10.25 inches by 7 inches, and will weigh 1.58 pounds.
The Streak Pro will have a 1280x800 screen, dual cameras (5 megapixels on the back and 2 on the front), and dual microphones. The tablet will be available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB configurations, and will also have an expandable SDHC storage slot. The same sources mention that the tablet will have a "foldout cover with a built-in keyboard," though whether this will be an add-on accessory or included in the package is not mentioned. Likewise, prices and 4G LTE capability are still unknowns.
The indication that the Streak Pro will commit to Honeycomb comes only a few days after Google announced Android 3.1, the latest version of the Android tablet OS, as well as Google's indication that it will push for more rigid upgrade trajectories from manufacturers that choose to use Android. The Dell Streak Pro is slated to be arrive in June.
Instead of the 3D-capable Tegra 2 T25 chip the Streak Pro was rumored to have, the tablet will instead have a Tegra 2 T20 dual-core chip clocked at 1GHz, as well as 1GB of RAM. According to Tweaker, the tablet is just over half an inch thick, will measure 10.25 inches by 7 inches, and will weigh 1.58 pounds.
The Streak Pro will have a 1280x800 screen, dual cameras (5 megapixels on the back and 2 on the front), and dual microphones. The tablet will be available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB configurations, and will also have an expandable SDHC storage slot. The same sources mention that the tablet will have a "foldout cover with a built-in keyboard," though whether this will be an add-on accessory or included in the package is not mentioned. Likewise, prices and 4G LTE capability are still unknowns.
The indication that the Streak Pro will commit to Honeycomb comes only a few days after Google announced Android 3.1, the latest version of the Android tablet OS, as well as Google's indication that it will push for more rigid upgrade trajectories from manufacturers that choose to use Android. The Dell Streak Pro is slated to be arrive in June.
Expect To See 10 New Android and MeeGo Tablets With Intel Inside Soon
At Computex Taipei later this month you can expect to see at least 10 tablets powered by Intel processors according to the Wall Street Journal. Those 10 tablets will be unique because some of them will be running on Google Android platform, the others will run on Intel’s (in partnership with others) MeeGo platform.
Intel is likely to demo the 10 tablets running on their new x86-class Intel Atom Z670 processor the companies first for the Oak Trail platform. In announcing the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z670 last month Intel proclaimed the chip could run Google’s Android OS, MeeGo and Windows operating systems no problem.
Intel is likely to demo the 10 tablets running on their new x86-class Intel Atom Z670 processor the companies first for the Oak Trail platform. In announcing the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z670 last month Intel proclaimed the chip could run Google’s Android OS, MeeGo and Windows operating systems no problem.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sprint now offering Nexus S 4G for $200, Best Buy at $150
Sprint has announced the release of the Nexus S 4G for their network, giving CDMA/WiMax 4G users a chance to use Google's flagship Android device.
Furthermore, the smartphone will launch with Android 2.3.4, meaning video chat through Google Talk is enabled.
The device is available for $200 with contract from Sprint, or $150 with contract through Best Buy.
If you want to buy the device without contract it will cost you $549.
As with all Sprint smartphones, you will be charged an extra $10 per month for "premium data."
Furthermore, the smartphone will launch with Android 2.3.4, meaning video chat through Google Talk is enabled.
The device is available for $200 with contract from Sprint, or $150 with contract through Best Buy.
If you want to buy the device without contract it will cost you $549.
As with all Sprint smartphones, you will be charged an extra $10 per month for "premium data."
Google Android 2.3.4 Adds Video Chat
Google on Thursday introduced video chatting capabilities to Android phones, akin to Face Time on Apple iOS devices, as part of version 2.3.4 of the mobile operating system. Other Android apps already offer video chatting capabilities, but Google has built the feature into the OS and also allows interoperability between Android phones and tablets and computers.
The video chatting feature has been integrated into the Google Talk application, and unlike Apple's Face Time, works over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G (as long as your carrier and data contract allows you).
A video or voice chat button will appear in the Google Talk friends list next to your contacts. While video chatting, any text chats from that person will also appear overlaid on the video. When switching to a different application while video chatting, video will be paused while audio will continue to run in the background.
Users of the Nexus S smartphone (built by Samsung for Google) are the first ones to receive the feature, as part of a new version of Android (2.3.4). Other Android 2.3 devices will receive the update incrementally (read slow), as usual, over the air.
"You can now video or voice chat with your friends, family and colleagues right from your Android phone, whether they're on their compatible Android tablet or phone, or using Gmail with Google Talk on their computer," Google's Product Manager Colin Gibbs and Wei Huang, tech lead, write on the official Google Mobile Blog.
This is similar to Apple's Face Time video chatting solution, which allows communication between front-facing camera-equipped iOS devices and Mac computers. But the advantage of Google's solution right now is PC compatibility (works with video chats from within Gmail on most browsers) and 3G/4G capabilities, as well as text on video overlay.
If you are searching for interoperability between iOS and Android video chatting, you can check out Fring, which not only connects Android and iOS (including iPhone 3G/S) users, but also works over 3G/4G and Wi-Fi and allows for group video chatting sessions of up to four people.
To see how Google Talk with video chat works, check out this explanatory video from Google.
The video chatting feature has been integrated into the Google Talk application, and unlike Apple's Face Time, works over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G (as long as your carrier and data contract allows you).
A video or voice chat button will appear in the Google Talk friends list next to your contacts. While video chatting, any text chats from that person will also appear overlaid on the video. When switching to a different application while video chatting, video will be paused while audio will continue to run in the background.
Users of the Nexus S smartphone (built by Samsung for Google) are the first ones to receive the feature, as part of a new version of Android (2.3.4). Other Android 2.3 devices will receive the update incrementally (read slow), as usual, over the air.
"You can now video or voice chat with your friends, family and colleagues right from your Android phone, whether they're on their compatible Android tablet or phone, or using Gmail with Google Talk on their computer," Google's Product Manager Colin Gibbs and Wei Huang, tech lead, write on the official Google Mobile Blog.
This is similar to Apple's Face Time video chatting solution, which allows communication between front-facing camera-equipped iOS devices and Mac computers. But the advantage of Google's solution right now is PC compatibility (works with video chats from within Gmail on most browsers) and 3G/4G capabilities, as well as text on video overlay.
If you are searching for interoperability between iOS and Android video chatting, you can check out Fring, which not only connects Android and iOS (including iPhone 3G/S) users, but also works over 3G/4G and Wi-Fi and allows for group video chatting sessions of up to four people.
To see how Google Talk with video chat works, check out this explanatory video from Google.
Google Movie Rentals Delayed For Wi-Fi Motorola XOOM Android 3.1 Update
One of the many new features added by Google to the Android 3.1 Honeycomb build was access to the company’s new movie rental service. The update was supposed to add a new Movies button to the redesigned Android Market in between the apps and books buttons.
However for Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi only tablet owners the update to Android 3.1 will not give you direct access to Google’s new service initially. According to Motorola reps. Google will be sending out their own update for that will add the Movies button to the Android Market ‘in the near future’.
However for Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi only tablet owners the update to Android 3.1 will not give you direct access to Google’s new service initially. According to Motorola reps. Google will be sending out their own update for that will add the Movies button to the Android Market ‘in the near future’.
When the time comes, installing Android 3.1 on the XOOM takes about 5 minutes
Google Android 3.1 has been rolling out for Motorola XOOM units for the past few days. While Google officials initially stated that the update would be available for Verizon XOOM 3G customers first, a number of people with WiFi-only tablets have also confirmed that they’ve received the update. Today I got an update notification on a Motorola XOOM 3G which has never been activated with Verizon. Effectively it’s an overpriced WiFi-only model with a bit of extra hardware.
The entire update takes about 5 minutes. Here’s how it works.
The entire update takes about 5 minutes. Here’s how it works.
First look at Google Android 3.1 on the Motorola XOOM
Google Android 3.1 is now rolling out to Motorola XOOM tablets, and my test unit received the update this morning, so I thought it was time for a little tour. Some of the changes are hard to capture on camera, such as the improved support for hardware graphics acceleration, which generally makes the tablet feel faster thanks to improved browser performance and smoother system animations. Strangely the tablet is scoring lower in some benchmarks, but that might be due to the benchmarks rather than actual system performance. I’ll have more on that in my complete review.
Other items such as improved home screen widgets and new browser tools are more readily apparent. You can find my hands-on video and more photos below.
The first two changes you’ll probably notice are support for new system features including a recent apps menu that lets you scroll up and down to see additional results and home screen widgets that can be resized.
Other items such as improved home screen widgets and new browser tools are more readily apparent. You can find my hands-on video and more photos below.
The first two changes you’ll probably notice are support for new system features including a recent apps menu that lets you scroll up and down to see additional results and home screen widgets that can be resized.
First look at Google Android 3.1 on the Motorola XOOM
Google Android 3.1 is now rolling out to Motorola XOOM tablets, and my test unit received the update this morning, so I thought it was time for a little tour. Some of the changes are hard to capture on camera, such as the improved support for hardware graphics acceleration, which generally makes the tablet feel faster thanks to improved browser performance and smoother system animations. Strangely the tablet is scoring lower in some benchmarks, but that might be due to the benchmarks rather than actual system performance. I’ll have more on that in my complete review.
Other items such as improved home screen widgets and new browser tools are more readily apparent. You can find my hands-on video and more photos below.
The first two changes you’ll probably notice are support for new system features including a recent apps menu that lets you scroll up and down to see additional results and home screen widgets that can be resized.
Read more: http://mobiputing.com/2011/05/first-look-at-google-android-3-1-on-the-motorola-xoom/
Other items such as improved home screen widgets and new browser tools are more readily apparent. You can find my hands-on video and more photos below.
The first two changes you’ll probably notice are support for new system features including a recent apps menu that lets you scroll up and down to see additional results and home screen widgets that can be resized.
Read more: http://mobiputing.com/2011/05/first-look-at-google-android-3-1-on-the-motorola-xoom/
Logitech Revue Drops To $199, Gets Android 3.1 Additions
On Friday Logitech dropped the cost of their Logitech Revue units with Google TV to $199 on Amazon, $100 less than the former price.
The price drop brings with it not just a cheaper price, but also Android 3.1 hardware support, making the unit the cheapest Google TV based product to date.
According to Logitech’s Azmat Ali, the new OS updates will allow the company to expand their products support, including such options as extra USB hardware and support for various peripherals including gamepads, new keyboards and mice amont other options, also included for supported devices will be Bluetooth mice.
Unfortunately it’s still unclear if those new additions will be made available for current Revue owners or just on new systems with better hardware specs.
The price drop brings with it not just a cheaper price, but also Android 3.1 hardware support, making the unit the cheapest Google TV based product to date.
According to Logitech’s Azmat Ali, the new OS updates will allow the company to expand their products support, including such options as extra USB hardware and support for various peripherals including gamepads, new keyboards and mice amont other options, also included for supported devices will be Bluetooth mice.
Unfortunately it’s still unclear if those new additions will be made available for current Revue owners or just on new systems with better hardware specs.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Android 4.0 to be called ‘Ice Cream’
Google is well known for playfully naming new Android OS’s after various sweets. This tradition began in May 2009 with the development of Android 1.5, which Google dubbed Cupcake. Donut (Android 1.6) was released in Sept. 2009 and Éclair (Android 2.0) followed in Oct. 2009. The current version of Android (Android 2.2) is called Froyo, short for frozen yogurt.
Going in alphabetical order, Google has confirmed that Android 3.0 will be called Gingerbread and Android 3.5 will be called Honeycomb. But the “I” representing Android 4.0 has been kept secret for some time.
Until now. ARM President Tudor Brown has said that Android 4.0 will be dubbed Ice Cream. All other details about Android 4.0 are being kept secret, however.
Ice Cream most likely won’t make its debut until mid-2011. Gingerbread is expected to be released before the end of the year and Honeycomb in early 2011.
Going in alphabetical order, Google has confirmed that Android 3.0 will be called Gingerbread and Android 3.5 will be called Honeycomb. But the “I” representing Android 4.0 has been kept secret for some time.
Until now. ARM President Tudor Brown has said that Android 4.0 will be dubbed Ice Cream. All other details about Android 4.0 are being kept secret, however.
Ice Cream most likely won’t make its debut until mid-2011. Gingerbread is expected to be released before the end of the year and Honeycomb in early 2011.
Android 3.1, Ice Cream Sandwich Take Center Stage at Google I/O
SAN FRANCISCO—Google May 10 introduced a new version of Android 3.1 "Honeycomb," an incremental upgrade of its tablet-optimized operating system, at its Google I/O developers' conference here.
The upgrade, rolling out today to owners of the Motorola Xoom on Verizon's 3G network, improves upon Honeycomb's intensive customization capabilities with homescreen widgets that developers can create to resize horizontally, vertically or both.
Honeycomb 3.1 features a couple new APIs, including the USB host API and Open Accessory API.
For Honeycomb devices that support USB host mode, applications can now manage USB peripherals such as audio devices, input devices and other communications devices, such as VOIP headsets. Honeycomb 3.1 will also support mice, trackballs, joysticks, gamepads and others.
With a mind to expand Android's purview beyond smartphones, tablets and TVs, the Open Accessory API allows Android applications to integrate and work with musical equipment, exercise equipment and robotics systems.
Honeycomb 3.1 will also support the forthcoming Google TV upgrade later this year.
Android engineer Mike Cleron said Sony, Samsung, Logitech and Vizio are building new Google TV products this year.
Google's Android team backported this API to Android 2.3.4 as an optional library, with the Samsung Nexus S as the first device to support this feature. The 2.3.4 version of the Open Accessory API is available in the new Google APIs add-on for developers.
Meanwhile, Cleron said Google's next Android smartphone platform, code-named Ice Cream Sandwich, will include Honeycomb features. This will include the holographic user interface, jazzier multitasking, the new launcher and richer widgets.
Google's goal here is to curb some of the fragmentation the company introduced when it rolled out Honeycomb as a break from its Android 2.x smartphone builds.
Further along this defragmentation front, Google also said that several carriers and phone makers will create guidelines for how quickly devices are updated after a new platform release, and for how long they will continue to be updated.
This means participating partners will receive the latest Android platform upgrades for 18 months after the device is first released, provided the hardware can support the OS builds.
Participants in this as-yet-unnamed group include Verizon, HTC, Samsung, Sprint, Sony Ericsson, LG, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Motorola and AT&T, though Google said participation is open.
Google also trotted out some meaty Android stats.
Hugo Barra, vice president of Android product management, said the platform has seen 100 million activated Android devices, with 400,000 new Android devices activated each day.
There are also now 200,000 free and paid applications available in Android Market, with users installing 4.5 billion apps.
The upgrade, rolling out today to owners of the Motorola Xoom on Verizon's 3G network, improves upon Honeycomb's intensive customization capabilities with homescreen widgets that developers can create to resize horizontally, vertically or both.
Honeycomb 3.1 features a couple new APIs, including the USB host API and Open Accessory API.
For Honeycomb devices that support USB host mode, applications can now manage USB peripherals such as audio devices, input devices and other communications devices, such as VOIP headsets. Honeycomb 3.1 will also support mice, trackballs, joysticks, gamepads and others.
With a mind to expand Android's purview beyond smartphones, tablets and TVs, the Open Accessory API allows Android applications to integrate and work with musical equipment, exercise equipment and robotics systems.
Honeycomb 3.1 will also support the forthcoming Google TV upgrade later this year.
Android engineer Mike Cleron said Sony, Samsung, Logitech and Vizio are building new Google TV products this year.
Google's Android team backported this API to Android 2.3.4 as an optional library, with the Samsung Nexus S as the first device to support this feature. The 2.3.4 version of the Open Accessory API is available in the new Google APIs add-on for developers.
Meanwhile, Cleron said Google's next Android smartphone platform, code-named Ice Cream Sandwich, will include Honeycomb features. This will include the holographic user interface, jazzier multitasking, the new launcher and richer widgets.
Google's goal here is to curb some of the fragmentation the company introduced when it rolled out Honeycomb as a break from its Android 2.x smartphone builds.
Further along this defragmentation front, Google also said that several carriers and phone makers will create guidelines for how quickly devices are updated after a new platform release, and for how long they will continue to be updated.
This means participating partners will receive the latest Android platform upgrades for 18 months after the device is first released, provided the hardware can support the OS builds.
Participants in this as-yet-unnamed group include Verizon, HTC, Samsung, Sprint, Sony Ericsson, LG, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Motorola and AT&T, though Google said participation is open.
Google also trotted out some meaty Android stats.
Hugo Barra, vice president of Android product management, said the platform has seen 100 million activated Android devices, with 400,000 new Android devices activated each day.
There are also now 200,000 free and paid applications available in Android Market, with users installing 4.5 billion apps.
Rumored Amazon Android Devices Include Smartphone
By now, everyone assumes that Amazon is making an Android tablet, but that's only part of the company's Android plans, according to one rumor.
An unnamed source told Android and Me that Amazon will launch "an entire family" of Android devices this holiday season. Android and Me's Taylor Wimberly said he confirmed the information with another unnamed source.
But like most of the other Android tablet chatter we've seen in recent weeks, the trail ends there, with no information on the kind of devices Amazon will reportedly launch, or how many there will be. Wimberly speculates that Amazon is working on an Android smartphone, and that tablets will match the screen sizes of the 7-inch Kindle and 9.7-inch Kindle DX.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, meanwhile, is being coy about the whole thing, telling Consumer Reports to "stay tuned" regarding the company's tablet plans. If nothing's launching until the holidays, "be patient" might be more appropriate.
Read more: http://techland.time.com/2011/05/13/rumored-amazon-android-devices-include-smartphone/#ixzz1MKIYpErJ
An unnamed source told Android and Me that Amazon will launch "an entire family" of Android devices this holiday season. Android and Me's Taylor Wimberly said he confirmed the information with another unnamed source.
But like most of the other Android tablet chatter we've seen in recent weeks, the trail ends there, with no information on the kind of devices Amazon will reportedly launch, or how many there will be. Wimberly speculates that Amazon is working on an Android smartphone, and that tablets will match the screen sizes of the 7-inch Kindle and 9.7-inch Kindle DX.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, meanwhile, is being coy about the whole thing, telling Consumer Reports to "stay tuned" regarding the company's tablet plans. If nothing's launching until the holidays, "be patient" might be more appropriate.
Read more: http://techland.time.com/2011/05/13/rumored-amazon-android-devices-include-smartphone/#ixzz1MKIYpErJ
Nvidia CEO: New Android tablets are vast improvement
Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang says the second round of Android tablets are far better than the first generation of devices, which were met with complaints about pricing and performance.
During a conference call to discuss his company's quarterly earnings yesterday, Huang said concerns over the first generation of Android tablets, many of which did not have an operating system designed for tablets, have been "largely addressed."
"The first generation of tablets initially came out from our carriers and with 3G, and I think that is recognized that the vast majority of tablet users are actually buying it from retail and Wi-Fi only," he said. "And without 3G, obviously, the tablets would be much more affordable. So I think that that's one of the factors that affected the initial reviews of the early waves of tablets, but those concerns have been largely addressed at this point."
Last June, Huang wasn't entirely convinced the first wave of Android tablets were ready for prime time.
"You can't just do another product," he told CNET blogger Brooke Crothers. "Look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It's a tablet that uses a phone operating system on a large display. A tablet is not a large phone."
Almost a year later, Huang said he's pleased that the latest round of tablets are more affordable, more widely available in retail stores, and are beginning to differentiate themselves from other tablets.
"And you're also starting to see a lot of differentiated platforms from devices that are likely ASUSTeK Transformer, where it's a tablet in one configuration, it has a detachable keyboard in another configuration. And so those kind of devices are getting a lot of interest and available at computer channels all over the world," Huang said. "We're going to expect another wave of tablets that are coming out to the marketplace now. Ones that are even thinner and even lighter than the best offerings from any place, any supplier in the world and those devices are just in the process of ramping" up, he said.
Huang also said Nvidia is working with the latest version of Android, Honeycomb 3.1, which he called "exciting."
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20062659-260.html#ixzz1MKILco00
During a conference call to discuss his company's quarterly earnings yesterday, Huang said concerns over the first generation of Android tablets, many of which did not have an operating system designed for tablets, have been "largely addressed."
"The first generation of tablets initially came out from our carriers and with 3G, and I think that is recognized that the vast majority of tablet users are actually buying it from retail and Wi-Fi only," he said. "And without 3G, obviously, the tablets would be much more affordable. So I think that that's one of the factors that affected the initial reviews of the early waves of tablets, but those concerns have been largely addressed at this point."
Last June, Huang wasn't entirely convinced the first wave of Android tablets were ready for prime time.
"You can't just do another product," he told CNET blogger Brooke Crothers. "Look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It's a tablet that uses a phone operating system on a large display. A tablet is not a large phone."
Almost a year later, Huang said he's pleased that the latest round of tablets are more affordable, more widely available in retail stores, and are beginning to differentiate themselves from other tablets.
"And you're also starting to see a lot of differentiated platforms from devices that are likely ASUSTeK Transformer, where it's a tablet in one configuration, it has a detachable keyboard in another configuration. And so those kind of devices are getting a lot of interest and available at computer channels all over the world," Huang said. "We're going to expect another wave of tablets that are coming out to the marketplace now. Ones that are even thinner and even lighter than the best offerings from any place, any supplier in the world and those devices are just in the process of ramping" up, he said.
Huang also said Nvidia is working with the latest version of Android, Honeycomb 3.1, which he called "exciting."
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20062659-260.html#ixzz1MKILco00
6 Best Android Honeycomb Tablets You Can Buy Now
Tablet makers are racing to deliver products based on the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. Honeycomb was devised specifically for tablet use, unlike prior versions of Android, which companies tried to bootstrap onto tablets with mixed results, when compared to Apple's iPad.
Here are six Honeycomb tablets that are the most notable in what could soon become a crowded -- and confusing -- field this year.
Read more: http://www.pcworld.com/article/227863/6_best_android_honeycomb_tablets_you_can_buy_now.html
Here are six Honeycomb tablets that are the most notable in what could soon become a crowded -- and confusing -- field this year.
Read more: http://www.pcworld.com/article/227863/6_best_android_honeycomb_tablets_you_can_buy_now.html
Barnes and Noble Updates Nook for Android, Adds Tablet Support
If you don't have a Barnes and Noble Nook eReader but you have been using the Nook for Android mobile app to read books on your Android phone or tablet, you'll be happy to know that the company just updated the app to support Android tablets. Now Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab owners won't have to use the phone-version of the app: Barnes and Noble has a version of the Nook app just for large screens.
The new version is optimized for tablets 7-inches or larger, and is available now in the Android App Market and several other Android app stores. The app also brings in support for Barnes and Noble's Nook Magazines, which lets you subscribe to and download over 140 newspapers and magazines and download them right to your Nook.
The Nook app for Android is still free, and still gives you access to Barnes and Noble's eBook store. The update also includes the ability to subscribe to periodicals, like The Washington Post, Esquire, USA Today, and Food and Wine. The magazines download in rich and beautiful color - something that previously you were only able to get if you had a Nook Color eReader.
The new version is optimized for tablets 7-inches or larger, and is available now in the Android App Market and several other Android app stores. The app also brings in support for Barnes and Noble's Nook Magazines, which lets you subscribe to and download over 140 newspapers and magazines and download them right to your Nook.
The Nook app for Android is still free, and still gives you access to Barnes and Noble's eBook store. The update also includes the ability to subscribe to periodicals, like The Washington Post, Esquire, USA Today, and Food and Wine. The magazines download in rich and beautiful color - something that previously you were only able to get if you had a Nook Color eReader.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Next iPhone to be called iPhone 4S not 5
We’ve been discussing rumors about an iPhone 5 for a while now, and apparently we’ve been calling it by the wrong name. The next iPhone is supposed to be called the iPhone 4S rather than the iPhone 5 according to Jeffries analyst Peter Misek
We’ve also heard some good news that the iPhone 4S will be coming to the following carriers: Sprint, T-Mobile, and China Mobile. The iPhone 4S will not be significantly different than the iPhone 4 besides some hardware changes including new cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support.
We’ve also heard some good news that the iPhone 4S will be coming to the following carriers: Sprint, T-Mobile, and China Mobile. The iPhone 4S will not be significantly different than the iPhone 4 besides some hardware changes including new cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support.
Google Nexus One Android 2.3.4 Live – How To Update
If you haven’t found out already, the official Google Nexus One Android 2.3.4 update is now live and it does bring with a lot of benefits, fixes and enhancements. The only feature that’s missing from the Google Nexus One Android 2.3.4 update is the video chat or voice services in Google Talk. Most likely the reason behind this is the fact that the Nexus One doesn’t have a front-facing camera. We know that the lack of these features is rather disappointing but it was somewhat expected for this update not to include these features for the Nexus One.
Missing features aside, you wouldn’t want to miss out on the other benefits and enhancements the 2.3.4 is bringing so if you haven’t already, it’s time to update your Nexus One!
Missing features aside, you wouldn’t want to miss out on the other benefits and enhancements the 2.3.4 is bringing so if you haven’t already, it’s time to update your Nexus One!
Android 2.3.4 update begins rolling out to Australian Nexus S owners
Australian Nexus S owners have begun receiving the Android 2.3.4 update promised by Google just two weeks ago, which brings native video chat to Google’s Android operating system.
The Nexus S, available exclusively through Vodafone Australia locally, is Google’s latest “developer” phone designed in partnership with Samsung because it runs a “vanilla” — or clean — edition of Android, allowing users to experience the operating system the way Google designed it to be. There’s no overlays, no tweaks by carriers and therefore updates can be pushed almost as soon as they’re announced.
Essentially because of this the phone lives on the ground-breaking cusp of Android, and Nexus S owners can be guaranteed they’ll be seeing at least the next few major software upgrades pushed to their phones, with a very high chance that they’ll be among the first to experience newly announced features.
Therefore when the company announced two weeks ago that the Nexus S and Nexus One, Google’s first ever developer-friendly phone, would receive a minimal upgrade to Android 2.3.4, it was obvious Australian owners weren’t going to have to wait long.
Sure enough yesterday many Australian Nexus S owners began receiving the message that an Over-The-Air (OTA) update was available, promising as expected support for native video calling using the in-built Google Talk application, as well as a number of bug fixes and security fixes for both the Nexus S and Nexus One. The update is just 12MB in size.
Vodafone has also confirmed the update to Android 2.3 for HTC Desire HD on their network is “in testing” and is “hopefully not to far away” on their Twitter profile. The update was announced earlier this week.
Google’s biggest developer conference of the year starts Wednesday, with more Android upgrades expected to be announced over the course of the two-day event.
The author of this post can be contacted at brenton.currie@itechreport.com.au
The Nexus S, available exclusively through Vodafone Australia locally, is Google’s latest “developer” phone designed in partnership with Samsung because it runs a “vanilla” — or clean — edition of Android, allowing users to experience the operating system the way Google designed it to be. There’s no overlays, no tweaks by carriers and therefore updates can be pushed almost as soon as they’re announced.
Essentially because of this the phone lives on the ground-breaking cusp of Android, and Nexus S owners can be guaranteed they’ll be seeing at least the next few major software upgrades pushed to their phones, with a very high chance that they’ll be among the first to experience newly announced features.
Therefore when the company announced two weeks ago that the Nexus S and Nexus One, Google’s first ever developer-friendly phone, would receive a minimal upgrade to Android 2.3.4, it was obvious Australian owners weren’t going to have to wait long.
Sure enough yesterday many Australian Nexus S owners began receiving the message that an Over-The-Air (OTA) update was available, promising as expected support for native video calling using the in-built Google Talk application, as well as a number of bug fixes and security fixes for both the Nexus S and Nexus One. The update is just 12MB in size.
Vodafone has also confirmed the update to Android 2.3 for HTC Desire HD on their network is “in testing” and is “hopefully not to far away” on their Twitter profile. The update was announced earlier this week.
Google’s biggest developer conference of the year starts Wednesday, with more Android upgrades expected to be announced over the course of the two-day event.
The author of this post can be contacted at brenton.currie@itechreport.com.au
Hands On With Android 2.3.4
Google last month announced an Android OS update to version 2.3.4. It was first rolled out to the Nexus S, and just yesterday became available for Nexus One phones. The update mostly contains a number of bug fixes, but its biggest new feature is support for video and voice chat with Google Talk.
We took a look at Android 2.3.4 on our Nexus One in the PCMag Labs. Unsure whether we'd have to download the update manually, we were pleasantly surprised to see that an over-the-air update was waiting for us when we turned on the phone.
Read more: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384877,00.asp
We took a look at Android 2.3.4 on our Nexus One in the PCMag Labs. Unsure whether we'd have to download the update manually, we were pleasantly surprised to see that an over-the-air update was waiting for us when we turned on the phone.
Read more: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384877,00.asp
Asus working on Android 3.1, Windows 7 Pro updates to its tablet lineup
Asus currently offers a 10 inch tablet running Android 3.0 called the Eee Pad Transformer, and a 12 inch tablet running Windows 7 Home Premium called the Eee Slate EP121. It looks like the company’s Android tablet should soon receive an update bringing Android 3.1, while the Windows tablet will get a new sibling called the Eee Slate EB121 which will run Windows 7 Professional.
The folks at French site Blogee received an image of the Transformer running Android 3.1. It looks like this is just a test build for now, but it shows that Asus has received the source code for the operating system from Google and is working to bring the new OS to Eee Pad Transformer users.
Google Android 3.1 brings improved support for hardware graphics acceleration, new scrollable home screen widgets, and an improved Recent Apps tasks switcher, among other things.
There’s not much information about the new Eee Slate EB121 yet, but Notebook Italia found a support page for the new tablet.
The Eee Slate EP121 has a 12.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display, an Intel Core i5 processor, and up to 64GB of storage space thanks to a solid state disk. The tablet supports finger input or the use of a digital pen, thanks to a capacitive touchscreen display and an active digitizer. It’s likely that the EB121 will have similar features, but the Windows 7 Professional operating system may indicate that the new tablet is geared at business users and it may include additional premium software or hardware features.
The folks at French site Blogee received an image of the Transformer running Android 3.1. It looks like this is just a test build for now, but it shows that Asus has received the source code for the operating system from Google and is working to bring the new OS to Eee Pad Transformer users.
Google Android 3.1 brings improved support for hardware graphics acceleration, new scrollable home screen widgets, and an improved Recent Apps tasks switcher, among other things.
There’s not much information about the new Eee Slate EB121 yet, but Notebook Italia found a support page for the new tablet.
The Eee Slate EP121 has a 12.1 inch, 1280 x 800 pixel display, an Intel Core i5 processor, and up to 64GB of storage space thanks to a solid state disk. The tablet supports finger input or the use of a digital pen, thanks to a capacitive touchscreen display and an active digitizer. It’s likely that the EB121 will have similar features, but the Windows 7 Professional operating system may indicate that the new tablet is geared at business users and it may include additional premium software or hardware features.
Telstra’s XOOM to ship with Android 3.0, receive 3.1 update later
The Motorola XOOM tablet which Telstra will begin selling in Australia on May 24 will ship with Android 3.0 installed a Motorola spokesperson has confirmed, with the tablet to receive an upgrade to 3.1 via an update at a later date.
Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” was the first iteration of Google’s open-source mobile operating system designed with tablet devices in mind. It’s focused on large-screen devices, and featured a completely revamped ‘holographic’ user interface designed especially to create devices to rival the likes of Apple’s iPad in the tablet arena.
The first major update for the tablet-centric edition, announced at Google’s annual developer conference on Wednesday, Google I/O and dubbed Android 3.1 will retain the “Honeycomb” nickname and see a number of tweaks made to the OS including the ability to resize widgets, an improved task manager and an array of different bug fixes.
It’s being rolled out now to XOOM owners who are with Verizon in the United States, but Google says it’ll become more widely available soon.
However with the device soon to arrive on Australian shores with Telstra first and then Optus in June, a Motorola spokesperson has confirmed the updated OS won’t be available immediately here.
“XOOM is shipping on Android 3.0 in Australia and we don’t have any information on upgrades at this point,” a spokesperson from Motorola confirmed to iTech Report.
The XOOM is one of few tablet devices to be made available in Australia running Android Honeycomb, and made waves in the US when it launched just months ago.
Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” was the first iteration of Google’s open-source mobile operating system designed with tablet devices in mind. It’s focused on large-screen devices, and featured a completely revamped ‘holographic’ user interface designed especially to create devices to rival the likes of Apple’s iPad in the tablet arena.
The first major update for the tablet-centric edition, announced at Google’s annual developer conference on Wednesday, Google I/O and dubbed Android 3.1 will retain the “Honeycomb” nickname and see a number of tweaks made to the OS including the ability to resize widgets, an improved task manager and an array of different bug fixes.
It’s being rolled out now to XOOM owners who are with Verizon in the United States, but Google says it’ll become more widely available soon.
However with the device soon to arrive on Australian shores with Telstra first and then Optus in June, a Motorola spokesperson has confirmed the updated OS won’t be available immediately here.
“XOOM is shipping on Android 3.0 in Australia and we don’t have any information on upgrades at this point,” a spokesperson from Motorola confirmed to iTech Report.
The XOOM is one of few tablet devices to be made available in Australia running Android Honeycomb, and made waves in the US when it launched just months ago.
Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi Updated to Android 3.1 Before Specified Timeline
Contrary to Motorola’s announcement that the Android 3.1 update will roll out to Motorola Xoom 3G users on Verizon first, followed by Wi-Fi Xoom users after “several weeks”, users from all over are reporting that their Wi-Fi tabs are getting prompted for the update. Well, if it ends well for the customer, why should we complain?
Naturally, Wi-Fi Xoom users were put off by Motorola’s statement that the update will reach them “weeks” after the 3G users. Imagine their elation when the update jumped out on their device today morning. Maybe Motorola just wanted to make the event more joyful by giving users a surprise.
Read more: http://www.pdfdevices.com/motorola-xoom-wi-fi-updated-to-android-3-1-before-specified-timeline/
Naturally, Wi-Fi Xoom users were put off by Motorola’s statement that the update will reach them “weeks” after the 3G users. Imagine their elation when the update jumped out on their device today morning. Maybe Motorola just wanted to make the event more joyful by giving users a surprise.
Read more: http://www.pdfdevices.com/motorola-xoom-wi-fi-updated-to-android-3-1-before-specified-timeline/
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
HTC’s first tablet PC to hit shelves later this month
HTC Corp (宏達電), the world’s No. 5 smartphone brand, yesterday said its much-awaited tablet PC, dubbed the Flyer, is set to hit shelves later this month.
Unveiled in February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the 7-inch tablet will cost NT$17,900 for the Wi-Fi, 16 gigabyte (GB) version, while the 3G, 32GB version will set consumers back NT$20,900.
In the crowed tablet market, HTC said the Flyer would offer a variety of “innovative features” to attract consumers.
“The concept for the Flyer was first conceived two to three years ago and we had to make sure the product would be innovative before we launched it,” HTC Asia-Pacific region vice president Jack Tong (董俊良) told a press conference.
The company said what sets the Flyer apart from its competitors is its stylus called the “Scribe.”
The Scribe isn’t used for navigation, but it lets users do things such as take notes, draw pictures on the screen or mark up Web pages. A built-in application allows the user to record audio while writing, a feature HTC said is a good fit for students, artists and professionals, such as lawyers and doctors.
While the stylus will be sold separately as an accessory in the US, local versions of the Flyer will include the stylus.
The company also touted another application, HTC Watch, which puts a library of the latest, premium movies and TV shows at users’ fingertips.
HTC Watch uses progressive download technology that makes it possible to watch videos without waiting for a large file to finish downloading. It also allows users to rent or buy videos, and if purchased, users can watch them on up to five different HTC devices.
The Flyer will ship with Google Inc’s Android 2.4 operating system instead of Android 3.0 — the latest operating system tailored for use with tablets.
Also, instead of dual-core processors like those found in most tablets, the Flyer has a 1.5 GHz single-core processor from Qualcomm Inc.
KGI Securities Co (凱基證券) said in a research note last week that it was upbeat about HTC’s tablet shipments because it has plans to launch models running on Android 3.0 and using dual-core processors.
KGI estimated that global shipments of the Flyer would hit 1 million to 1.5 million by the end of this year, representing a market share of less than 3 percent.
The contribution of tablets to HTC’s overall sales this year will be less than 1 percent, KGI added.
Unveiled in February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the 7-inch tablet will cost NT$17,900 for the Wi-Fi, 16 gigabyte (GB) version, while the 3G, 32GB version will set consumers back NT$20,900.
In the crowed tablet market, HTC said the Flyer would offer a variety of “innovative features” to attract consumers.
“The concept for the Flyer was first conceived two to three years ago and we had to make sure the product would be innovative before we launched it,” HTC Asia-Pacific region vice president Jack Tong (董俊良) told a press conference.
The company said what sets the Flyer apart from its competitors is its stylus called the “Scribe.”
The Scribe isn’t used for navigation, but it lets users do things such as take notes, draw pictures on the screen or mark up Web pages. A built-in application allows the user to record audio while writing, a feature HTC said is a good fit for students, artists and professionals, such as lawyers and doctors.
While the stylus will be sold separately as an accessory in the US, local versions of the Flyer will include the stylus.
The company also touted another application, HTC Watch, which puts a library of the latest, premium movies and TV shows at users’ fingertips.
HTC Watch uses progressive download technology that makes it possible to watch videos without waiting for a large file to finish downloading. It also allows users to rent or buy videos, and if purchased, users can watch them on up to five different HTC devices.
The Flyer will ship with Google Inc’s Android 2.4 operating system instead of Android 3.0 — the latest operating system tailored for use with tablets.
Also, instead of dual-core processors like those found in most tablets, the Flyer has a 1.5 GHz single-core processor from Qualcomm Inc.
KGI Securities Co (凱基證券) said in a research note last week that it was upbeat about HTC’s tablet shipments because it has plans to launch models running on Android 3.0 and using dual-core processors.
KGI estimated that global shipments of the Flyer would hit 1 million to 1.5 million by the end of this year, representing a market share of less than 3 percent.
The contribution of tablets to HTC’s overall sales this year will be less than 1 percent, KGI added.
Google I/O: cloud music service and Android 2.4
Google has followed Amazon into the mobile music business, making the launch, and the next generation of Android, the first day highlights of its I/O developer conference.
The company said there are now 100m activated Android devices, with that figure rising by 400,000 a day. The next upgrade to the OS, Ice Cream Sandwich (more prosaically release 2.4), will reunite the two strands of Android, which currently has separate variations for tablets (Honeycomb) and handsets (Gingerbread). There were few details of features, but Google was clearly sensitive about Android's reputation for being fragmented, stressing that the upgrade would create "one OS that runs everywhere". And some of the functions that are currently confined to Honeycomb, such as the holographic user interface and sliding widgets, will be available to all devices with 2.4.
Read more: http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2011/05/10/google-i-o-cloud-music-service-android-24.htm
The company said there are now 100m activated Android devices, with that figure rising by 400,000 a day. The next upgrade to the OS, Ice Cream Sandwich (more prosaically release 2.4), will reunite the two strands of Android, which currently has separate variations for tablets (Honeycomb) and handsets (Gingerbread). There were few details of features, but Google was clearly sensitive about Android's reputation for being fragmented, stressing that the upgrade would create "one OS that runs everywhere". And some of the functions that are currently confined to Honeycomb, such as the holographic user interface and sliding widgets, will be available to all devices with 2.4.
Read more: http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2011/05/10/google-i-o-cloud-music-service-android-24.htm
Google: Android 2.4 will be a de-fragmented Ice Cream Sandwich
Google showcased Android 2.4 - aka Ice Cream Sandwich - at I/O 2011 today in San Francisco.
Although Mountain View revealed very little about the latest and greatest version of its wildly popular mobile OS, company reps did say it would help address the the issue of fragmentation, as it moved Google closer to the goal of "one OS that runs everywhere."
So, what does this mean for you?
Well, basically Android 2.4 merges the tablet-specific Honeycomb and smartphone 2.x into a single operating system.
The new OS will result in the creation of a single UI across all Android-powered devices, allowing devs to more easily create apps for the OS.
Which means, yes, more high-quality apps and games for you.
Last but certainly not least, Google confirmed that Ice Cream Sandwich would bring Honeycomb-style sliding widgets, a "holographic user interface," USB (device) connection options and optimized multitasking abilities to all future Android 2.4 devices.
Ice Cream Sandwich will hit Android smartphones sometime during Q4 2011.
Although Mountain View revealed very little about the latest and greatest version of its wildly popular mobile OS, company reps did say it would help address the the issue of fragmentation, as it moved Google closer to the goal of "one OS that runs everywhere."
So, what does this mean for you?
Well, basically Android 2.4 merges the tablet-specific Honeycomb and smartphone 2.x into a single operating system.
The new OS will result in the creation of a single UI across all Android-powered devices, allowing devs to more easily create apps for the OS.
Which means, yes, more high-quality apps and games for you.
Last but certainly not least, Google confirmed that Ice Cream Sandwich would bring Honeycomb-style sliding widgets, a "holographic user interface," USB (device) connection options and optimized multitasking abilities to all future Android 2.4 devices.
Ice Cream Sandwich will hit Android smartphones sometime during Q4 2011.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
AT&T's new Android phone 'Captivates'
If the Android phone was a girl, then AT&T's perceived lack of commitment to the platform would've be grounds for a deep re-evaluation of their relationship.
AT&T's historically underwhelming selection of Android phones is like the carrier equivalent of giving a generic greeting card with no handwritten message. Add AT&T's more serious advances toward Apple's sexy iPhone and one might even say a breakup was in order.
Read more: http://www.rgj.com/article/20101017/BIZ15/10170314/AT-T-s-new-Android-phone-Captivates-?odyssey=nav|head
AT&T's historically underwhelming selection of Android phones is like the carrier equivalent of giving a generic greeting card with no handwritten message. Add AT&T's more serious advances toward Apple's sexy iPhone and one might even say a breakup was in order.
Read more: http://www.rgj.com/article/20101017/BIZ15/10170314/AT-T-s-new-Android-phone-Captivates-?odyssey=nav|head
Android This Week: Infuse 4G Lands; Honeycomb Gets Earth; Amazon Tablet Soon
A number of new Android handsets were introduced this week, but the biggest announcement literally came in the form of the Infuse 4G. The handset arrives on AT&T’s network on May 15 and has a 4.5-inch touchscreen, which is the largest on any device sold by the carrier, yet is only 8.99 millimeters thick.
I’ve spent a day with an Infuse 4G review unit and I’m extremely impressed with the screen as it uses Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology. Colors are extremely vivid on the 800×480 screen. The new Infuse 4G also supports 21 Mbps downloads; another first for the carrier, although AT&T’s network is not yet equipped to provide such speeds yet.
In terms of computing speeds, the device skips the current dual-core CPU craze and instead uses Samsung’s single core 1.2 GHz chip. Responsiveness is very good, but not as good as the dual-core T-Mobile G2x that I used earlier this past week. In this brief overview video, you can see a demo of 1080p video playback, immersive 3-D gaming and the overall speediness of the G2x and it’s dual-core 1 GHz Nvidia processor.
I’ve spent a day with an Infuse 4G review unit and I’m extremely impressed with the screen as it uses Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology. Colors are extremely vivid on the 800×480 screen. The new Infuse 4G also supports 21 Mbps downloads; another first for the carrier, although AT&T’s network is not yet equipped to provide such speeds yet.
In terms of computing speeds, the device skips the current dual-core CPU craze and instead uses Samsung’s single core 1.2 GHz chip. Responsiveness is very good, but not as good as the dual-core T-Mobile G2x that I used earlier this past week. In this brief overview video, you can see a demo of 1080p video playback, immersive 3-D gaming and the overall speediness of the G2x and it’s dual-core 1 GHz Nvidia processor.
Android Continues to Win at Blackberry's Expense
More bad news for RIM's Blackberry: A recent survey of cell phone users shows Google's Android is continuing to gobble up its market share.
In online forums, consumers cite Android's superior user experience, the broad selection of carriers and handsets that offer its operating system, and its array of innovative applications as reasons why they are migrating to Google.
Those sentiments are put into focus by the latest MobiLens survey, spelling more trouble for Blackberry, which has been in free-fall for some time now. The survey aims to measure trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry by polling more than 30,000 users.
In January, Blackberry lost its long-held number one position in the MobiLens ranking to Google Android. At that point Blackberry held 30.4 percent of the market share, less than 1 percentage point behind Android at 31.2 percent.
The latest comScore MobiLens survey in March shows Blackberry's share fell to 27.1 percent and Google opened its lead by almost 8 percentage points, grabbing 34.7 of the market share.
That means more than a third of all smartphone handsets used in the U.S. today run Android.
In some ways, Android has adopted the same position on the smartphone as Windows occupies on the desktop--it's become the default platform for hardware vendors to use who don't want to go to the expense of developing proprietary software.
That doesn't mean people are necessarily opting for Android as their preferred choice. Because Android is used by the majority of different smartphone manufacturers, the growth in its userbase is likely just an indication that the smartphone marketplace is growing.
The MobiLens data matches recent figures released by research firm Canalys, which puts Android's share at 35 percent, although data from Nielsen puts Android even higher at around 50 percent of the marketplace.
Microsoft and Palm also saw modest declines in market share since January, according to the MobiLens survey. Microsoft dropped half a percentage point, while Palm dropped 0.4 percentage points. Microsoft will be dismayed as customers vote with their wallets when it comes to the Windows Phone 7 product launched late last year.
On the flip side: After a slight slip in January, Apple's market share continues a slow but steady rate of growth. The launch of the iPhone on Verizon might be helping, along with the fact deals involving the maturing iPhone 3GS handset are becoming more competitive in preparation for the arrival of the iPhone 5 later this year. It'll be interesting to see if the recently released white iPhone significantly boosts Apple's numbers.
The real winner is Google Android, which is leaving the rest of the field in the dust.
MobiLens figures for the last six months make it look like Android is sucking-up disaffected Blackberry users. The market share of other platforms has held roughly steady aside from slight growth or declines, so it's unlikely they're responsible for RIM's misfortune.
In online forums, consumers cite Android's superior user experience, the broad selection of carriers and handsets that offer its operating system, and its array of innovative applications as reasons why they are migrating to Google.
Those sentiments are put into focus by the latest MobiLens survey, spelling more trouble for Blackberry, which has been in free-fall for some time now. The survey aims to measure trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry by polling more than 30,000 users.
In January, Blackberry lost its long-held number one position in the MobiLens ranking to Google Android. At that point Blackberry held 30.4 percent of the market share, less than 1 percentage point behind Android at 31.2 percent.
The latest comScore MobiLens survey in March shows Blackberry's share fell to 27.1 percent and Google opened its lead by almost 8 percentage points, grabbing 34.7 of the market share.
That means more than a third of all smartphone handsets used in the U.S. today run Android.
In some ways, Android has adopted the same position on the smartphone as Windows occupies on the desktop--it's become the default platform for hardware vendors to use who don't want to go to the expense of developing proprietary software.
That doesn't mean people are necessarily opting for Android as their preferred choice. Because Android is used by the majority of different smartphone manufacturers, the growth in its userbase is likely just an indication that the smartphone marketplace is growing.
The MobiLens data matches recent figures released by research firm Canalys, which puts Android's share at 35 percent, although data from Nielsen puts Android even higher at around 50 percent of the marketplace.
Microsoft and Palm also saw modest declines in market share since January, according to the MobiLens survey. Microsoft dropped half a percentage point, while Palm dropped 0.4 percentage points. Microsoft will be dismayed as customers vote with their wallets when it comes to the Windows Phone 7 product launched late last year.
On the flip side: After a slight slip in January, Apple's market share continues a slow but steady rate of growth. The launch of the iPhone on Verizon might be helping, along with the fact deals involving the maturing iPhone 3GS handset are becoming more competitive in preparation for the arrival of the iPhone 5 later this year. It'll be interesting to see if the recently released white iPhone significantly boosts Apple's numbers.
The real winner is Google Android, which is leaving the rest of the field in the dust.
MobiLens figures for the last six months make it look like Android is sucking-up disaffected Blackberry users. The market share of other platforms has held roughly steady aside from slight growth or declines, so it's unlikely they're responsible for RIM's misfortune.
China iPad 2 frenzy causes Apple Store scuffle in Beijing
Just one day after Apple's iPad 2 launch drew long lines in China, conflicting reports emerged Saturday regarding an alleged altercation at an Apple Store in Beijing.
AppleInsider reported on Friday that the launch of the iPad 2 in China drew crowds containing both fans and scalpers. In anticipation of crushing demand for the touchscreen tablet, Apple retail staff had instituted new waiting procedures that included numbered wristbands.
Chinese Mac site MacX (via Google Translate) reports that the Beijing Sanlitun Apple Store temporarily closed for business on Saturday afternoon after an altercation allegedly broke out between scalpers and an Apple Store employee, though the specific details of the incident remain unclear.
The apparent facts of the incident are that four people were injured and taken to the hospital, one of the glass doors for the Apple Store was broken and the store was closed for a time for cleanup and a subsequent police investigation.
AppleInsider reported on Friday that the launch of the iPad 2 in China drew crowds containing both fans and scalpers. In anticipation of crushing demand for the touchscreen tablet, Apple retail staff had instituted new waiting procedures that included numbered wristbands.
Chinese Mac site MacX (via Google Translate) reports that the Beijing Sanlitun Apple Store temporarily closed for business on Saturday afternoon after an altercation allegedly broke out between scalpers and an Apple Store employee, though the specific details of the incident remain unclear.
The apparent facts of the incident are that four people were injured and taken to the hospital, one of the glass doors for the Apple Store was broken and the store was closed for a time for cleanup and a subsequent police investigation.
Watery week ahead as Mississippi floodwaters hit Memphis, move downriver
Record high floodwaters are expected to crest throughout the southern Mississippi Delta next week, starting in Memphis, Tenn., Wednesday and continuing through New Orleans by May 17. As momentum builds, the bulging waters moving down the Mississippi River are backing up tributaries that feed into it, resulting in evacuations, school cancellations, and road closures as water builds.
Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0507/Watery-week-ahead-as-Mississippi-floodwaters-hit-Memphis-move-downriver
Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0507/Watery-week-ahead-as-Mississippi-floodwaters-hit-Memphis-move-downriver
Videos demystify the Osama bin Laden legend
CBS News) One of the most revealing videos of Osama bin Laden released by the Pentagon today presents a startling image: A haggard-looking Osama bin Laden huddled in a blanket and ski cap, holding a remote control, watching television news coverage of himself.
The video shows bin Laden sitting alone in a drab, run-down room in front of an old TV connected by a bundle of bare cables to a satellite receiver.
CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that the government did not release the audio of the home movie, but the video obviously shows bin Laden watching a broadcast of one of al Qaeda's many terror messages. In one scene he appears with his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri, walking in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan. Another scene shows the burning towers of the World Trade Center.
The tape was found amidst the mountain of material recovered from bin Laden's lair. The computer disks, handwritten notes, and tapes have now convinced intelligence analysts that bin Laden - to the end - remained the center of his al Qaeda network.
2.7 terabytes of data recovered from bin Laden compound
Osama bin Laden had cash, phone numbers sewn in clothes
Intel on OBL debunks ailing cave-dweller image
A senior intelligence official today called the compound an "active command and control center." There is clear evidence bin Laden was involved in mapping terror plans and giving tactical directions.
Bin Laden, it seems, was also obsessed with his public image.
Another video clip shows bin Laden apparently rehearsing a speech in front of an armoire, which officials believe was inside his compound.
Yet another video shows a practice session in front of wrinkled sheet that may have been draped to hide the background. In another clip, there's an al Qaeda "blooper" of sorts - bin Laden with a false start and a "take two."
Officials did find what seems to be at least one "finished"...yet unreleased bin Laden tape...in which the al Qaeda leader rails against America and capitalism. It was apparently recorded late last year...between October 9 and November 5.
Watch all five bin Laden videos released by the U.S.
Complete coverage: The killing of Osama bin Laden
It's also clear bin Laden had a streak of vanity. In all of the rehearsal tapes and in the last videotaped message released in 2007, the terror mastermind appears with a dyed black beard. In the candid tape of his TV viewing session, bin Laden's beard was gray, the same color it was on Sunday when he was shot and killed by Navy Seals.
While the government has no plans, right now, to release any more of the evidence, a senior intelligence official said the US now has "unquestionable proof" that it was bin Laden who was killed.
A final analysis of DNA calculates the odds of it being anyone else at one in 11.8 quadrillion.
The video shows bin Laden sitting alone in a drab, run-down room in front of an old TV connected by a bundle of bare cables to a satellite receiver.
CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that the government did not release the audio of the home movie, but the video obviously shows bin Laden watching a broadcast of one of al Qaeda's many terror messages. In one scene he appears with his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri, walking in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan. Another scene shows the burning towers of the World Trade Center.
The tape was found amidst the mountain of material recovered from bin Laden's lair. The computer disks, handwritten notes, and tapes have now convinced intelligence analysts that bin Laden - to the end - remained the center of his al Qaeda network.
2.7 terabytes of data recovered from bin Laden compound
Osama bin Laden had cash, phone numbers sewn in clothes
Intel on OBL debunks ailing cave-dweller image
A senior intelligence official today called the compound an "active command and control center." There is clear evidence bin Laden was involved in mapping terror plans and giving tactical directions.
Bin Laden, it seems, was also obsessed with his public image.
Another video clip shows bin Laden apparently rehearsing a speech in front of an armoire, which officials believe was inside his compound.
Yet another video shows a practice session in front of wrinkled sheet that may have been draped to hide the background. In another clip, there's an al Qaeda "blooper" of sorts - bin Laden with a false start and a "take two."
Officials did find what seems to be at least one "finished"...yet unreleased bin Laden tape...in which the al Qaeda leader rails against America and capitalism. It was apparently recorded late last year...between October 9 and November 5.
Watch all five bin Laden videos released by the U.S.
Complete coverage: The killing of Osama bin Laden
It's also clear bin Laden had a streak of vanity. In all of the rehearsal tapes and in the last videotaped message released in 2007, the terror mastermind appears with a dyed black beard. In the candid tape of his TV viewing session, bin Laden's beard was gray, the same color it was on Sunday when he was shot and killed by Navy Seals.
While the government has no plans, right now, to release any more of the evidence, a senior intelligence official said the US now has "unquestionable proof" that it was bin Laden who was killed.
A final analysis of DNA calculates the odds of it being anyone else at one in 11.8 quadrillion.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Presidential Spotlight Shines on the Commandos Who Work in the Shadows
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — They are the shadowy warriors of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden: two dozen members of the Navy Seals who stormed the fortified compound in Pakistan where Bin Laden was hiding. Their identities will probably never be known; their faces will most likely never appear in photographs at the White House, on magazine covers or on television talk shows.
But on Friday, President Obama flew to this Army air base to thank them, behind closed doors, for what he called “a job well done,” describing it as one of the greatest military and intelligence operations in American history.
“This has been an historic week for the life of our nation,” Mr. Obama said later to a raucous rally of 2,300 soldiers, many of them just returned from Afghanistan. “The terrorist leader who struck our nation on 9/11 will never threaten America again.”
During the meeting with the Seal team — which Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. also attended — Mr. Obama awarded it and other units involved in the operation with a Presidential Unit Citation, the White House said. The president also received a PowerPoint presentation on the raid, with maps, photos and a scale model of the compound, from members of the assault force. Even the trained dog used in the raid attended.
The White House released few other details of the meeting, and did not mention the highly classified members of the unit by name. But Mr. Biden mentioned them several times in his speech, telling the soldiers that earlier in the day, his granddaughter exclaimed, “My Pop is going out to see the whales!”
The public rally and the private meeting amounted to a choreographed victory lap for Mr. Obama near the end of a momentous week that began with his announcement on Sunday that commandos had killed Bin Laden.
On Thursday, Mr. Obama visited ground zero in New York and met with relatives of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, drawing a personal link between the killing of Bin Laden and the deaths his disciples inflicted on nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center.
Speaking under a giant American flag to the troops of the 101st Airborne Division, Mr. Obama drew another connection, between the soldiers there and the commandos he called “America’s quiet professionals.”
“Like all of us, they could have chosen a life of ease,” the president said. “But like you, they volunteered.”
Describing the Seal commandos as “battle hardened” and tirelessly trained, Mr. Obama said: “When I gave the order, they were ready. And in recent days, the world has learned just how ready they were.”
While the Seal team is not based here, Fort Campbell is home of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers. The unit, which pilots aircraft for Special Operations troops, flew the helicopters that carried the commandos to Bin Laden’s compound.
Mr. Obama also linked the killing of Bin Laden to the broader war, saying it showed the progress that the United States had made in disrupting and dismantling Al Qaeda. The soldiers of the 101st Airborne, he said, were pushing back insurgents and allowing Afghans to reclaim their towns.
“The bottom line is this,” he said in a statement that drew the loudest cheers of the day, “our strategy is working, and there is no greater evidence of that than justice finally being delivered to Osama bin Laden.”
Among the soldiers, there was satisfaction, if not jubilation, at the killing of Bin Laden. Several said they were relieved, though most said they did not believe it would bring the Afghan war to an end any sooner.
“It helps to know that we finally got him,” said Sgt. Marion Githens, who coordinated Army helicopters at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan before returning to the United States two days ago. But she said she was still ambivalent about the war. “Some days, you feel like it’s not going anywhere,” she said. “Other days, you think, O.K., maybe we really can help these people.”
Still, other soldiers expressed gratitude that Mr. Obama had come. “It’s tough coming home,” said Capt. Jimos Reese, a company commander. “It does mean a lot that the president cares about you.”
It was Mr. Obama’s first visit to Fort Campbell, which is accustomed to visits by the commander in chief: six have come since the Vietnam War, with former President George W. Bush making three visits, including one just after Mr. Obama was elected in 2008.
The Pentagon recommended that Mr. Obama come to Fort Campbell, a senior official said, because the soldiers of the 101st Airborne had taken significant casualties, having served in a Taliban stronghold south and west of Kandahar that is some of the most lethal terrain in Afghanistan.
Mr. Obama acknowledged that service, noting that 125 soldiers from the base had died in Afghanistan. Some of the troops in the 101st Airborne, he said, had been deployed to Afghanistan three or four times.
Among those who greeted Mr. Obama at Fort Campbell was Vice Adm. William H. McRaven, a former commando in the Seals who oversaw the raid as the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command. After Mr. Obama’s arrival, the president’s motorcade left immediately for low buildings on the far side of the airfield, where the meeting with the Seal team and other units lasted more than an hour.
For all the celebration, there was still a somber tinge to Mr. Obama’s words, as he told the troops about a letter he had received from Payton Wall, a 14-year-old girl from New Jersey who wrote to him after hearing that Bin Laden was dead, about the devastating loss of her father in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
She stood near Mr. Obama on Thursday, with her mother and sister, as he laid a wreath at the 9/11 memorial plaza.
“Every year, more and more, Payton is shining through,” he said, describing how she plays lacrosse and mentors students. “For her and for all of us, this week has been a reminder of what we’re about as a people.”
But on Friday, President Obama flew to this Army air base to thank them, behind closed doors, for what he called “a job well done,” describing it as one of the greatest military and intelligence operations in American history.
“This has been an historic week for the life of our nation,” Mr. Obama said later to a raucous rally of 2,300 soldiers, many of them just returned from Afghanistan. “The terrorist leader who struck our nation on 9/11 will never threaten America again.”
During the meeting with the Seal team — which Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. also attended — Mr. Obama awarded it and other units involved in the operation with a Presidential Unit Citation, the White House said. The president also received a PowerPoint presentation on the raid, with maps, photos and a scale model of the compound, from members of the assault force. Even the trained dog used in the raid attended.
The White House released few other details of the meeting, and did not mention the highly classified members of the unit by name. But Mr. Biden mentioned them several times in his speech, telling the soldiers that earlier in the day, his granddaughter exclaimed, “My Pop is going out to see the whales!”
The public rally and the private meeting amounted to a choreographed victory lap for Mr. Obama near the end of a momentous week that began with his announcement on Sunday that commandos had killed Bin Laden.
On Thursday, Mr. Obama visited ground zero in New York and met with relatives of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, drawing a personal link between the killing of Bin Laden and the deaths his disciples inflicted on nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center.
Speaking under a giant American flag to the troops of the 101st Airborne Division, Mr. Obama drew another connection, between the soldiers there and the commandos he called “America’s quiet professionals.”
“Like all of us, they could have chosen a life of ease,” the president said. “But like you, they volunteered.”
Describing the Seal commandos as “battle hardened” and tirelessly trained, Mr. Obama said: “When I gave the order, they were ready. And in recent days, the world has learned just how ready they were.”
While the Seal team is not based here, Fort Campbell is home of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers. The unit, which pilots aircraft for Special Operations troops, flew the helicopters that carried the commandos to Bin Laden’s compound.
Mr. Obama also linked the killing of Bin Laden to the broader war, saying it showed the progress that the United States had made in disrupting and dismantling Al Qaeda. The soldiers of the 101st Airborne, he said, were pushing back insurgents and allowing Afghans to reclaim their towns.
“The bottom line is this,” he said in a statement that drew the loudest cheers of the day, “our strategy is working, and there is no greater evidence of that than justice finally being delivered to Osama bin Laden.”
Among the soldiers, there was satisfaction, if not jubilation, at the killing of Bin Laden. Several said they were relieved, though most said they did not believe it would bring the Afghan war to an end any sooner.
“It helps to know that we finally got him,” said Sgt. Marion Githens, who coordinated Army helicopters at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan before returning to the United States two days ago. But she said she was still ambivalent about the war. “Some days, you feel like it’s not going anywhere,” she said. “Other days, you think, O.K., maybe we really can help these people.”
Still, other soldiers expressed gratitude that Mr. Obama had come. “It’s tough coming home,” said Capt. Jimos Reese, a company commander. “It does mean a lot that the president cares about you.”
It was Mr. Obama’s first visit to Fort Campbell, which is accustomed to visits by the commander in chief: six have come since the Vietnam War, with former President George W. Bush making three visits, including one just after Mr. Obama was elected in 2008.
The Pentagon recommended that Mr. Obama come to Fort Campbell, a senior official said, because the soldiers of the 101st Airborne had taken significant casualties, having served in a Taliban stronghold south and west of Kandahar that is some of the most lethal terrain in Afghanistan.
Mr. Obama acknowledged that service, noting that 125 soldiers from the base had died in Afghanistan. Some of the troops in the 101st Airborne, he said, had been deployed to Afghanistan three or four times.
Among those who greeted Mr. Obama at Fort Campbell was Vice Adm. William H. McRaven, a former commando in the Seals who oversaw the raid as the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command. After Mr. Obama’s arrival, the president’s motorcade left immediately for low buildings on the far side of the airfield, where the meeting with the Seal team and other units lasted more than an hour.
For all the celebration, there was still a somber tinge to Mr. Obama’s words, as he told the troops about a letter he had received from Payton Wall, a 14-year-old girl from New Jersey who wrote to him after hearing that Bin Laden was dead, about the devastating loss of her father in the 2001 terrorist attacks.
She stood near Mr. Obama on Thursday, with her mother and sister, as he laid a wreath at the 9/11 memorial plaza.
“Every year, more and more, Payton is shining through,” he said, describing how she plays lacrosse and mentors students. “For her and for all of us, this week has been a reminder of what we’re about as a people.”
Al-Qaida vows revenge for Osama bin Laden's death
(AP) CAIRO (AP) — Al-Qaida vowed to keep fighting the United States and avenge the death of Osama bin Laden, which it acknowledged for the first time Friday in an Internet statement apparently designed to convince followers that it will remain vigorous and intact even after its founder's demise.
Al-Qaida's plots are usually large-scale and involve planning over months or even years. But Western intelligence officials say they are seeing increased chatter about cheap, small-scale attacks — perhaps by individuals or small extremist groups inspired to take revenge for the killing.
"USA, you will pay!" chanted more than 100 participants in a pro-bin Laden protest outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Friday.
A Western intelligence official said no concrete threat has emerged so far that authorities considered credible. "There have been mentions of shootings, bombings and random violence, though it is not surprising, given bin Laden's death," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Authorities in the U.S. and Europe chose not to elevate threat levels.
Interpol has asked law enforcement agencies in 188 countries to be on alert for retaliatory attacks. Communities have been warned to report anything suspicious. Embassies and some American businesses have added new security measures.
Despite the Internet chatter, reaction in the Islamic world to bin Laden's death has been relatively muted compared with the rage that he long inspired, raising questions about his relevance in the Middle East — a region that has been changed by a wave of pro-democracy uprisings.
The al-Qaida statement, entitled "You lived as a good man, you died as a martyr," did not name a successor to bin Laden. His deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, is now the most prominent figure in the group and a likely contender to take his place.
"The blood of the holy warrior sheik, Osama bin Laden, God bless him, is too precious to us and to all Muslims to go in vain," the statement said. "We will remain, God willing, a curse chasing the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their countries."
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/06/ap/business/main20060481.shtml
Al-Qaida's plots are usually large-scale and involve planning over months or even years. But Western intelligence officials say they are seeing increased chatter about cheap, small-scale attacks — perhaps by individuals or small extremist groups inspired to take revenge for the killing.
"USA, you will pay!" chanted more than 100 participants in a pro-bin Laden protest outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Friday.
A Western intelligence official said no concrete threat has emerged so far that authorities considered credible. "There have been mentions of shootings, bombings and random violence, though it is not surprising, given bin Laden's death," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Authorities in the U.S. and Europe chose not to elevate threat levels.
Interpol has asked law enforcement agencies in 188 countries to be on alert for retaliatory attacks. Communities have been warned to report anything suspicious. Embassies and some American businesses have added new security measures.
Despite the Internet chatter, reaction in the Islamic world to bin Laden's death has been relatively muted compared with the rage that he long inspired, raising questions about his relevance in the Middle East — a region that has been changed by a wave of pro-democracy uprisings.
The al-Qaida statement, entitled "You lived as a good man, you died as a martyr," did not name a successor to bin Laden. His deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, is now the most prominent figure in the group and a likely contender to take his place.
"The blood of the holy warrior sheik, Osama bin Laden, God bless him, is too precious to us and to all Muslims to go in vain," the statement said. "We will remain, God willing, a curse chasing the Americans and their agents, following them outside and inside their countries."
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/06/ap/business/main20060481.shtml
Suspected Osama bin Laden aide set for US extradition over 1998 bombings
A Saudi man accused of conspiring with Osama bin Laden in the bombings of two US embassies expects to be extradited to face charges after more than 12 years in British custody, according to documents which have emerged from a US court.
Prosecutors in New York have charged Khalid al-Fawwaz with helping al-Qaida to orchestrate the 1998 car bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people.
A letter from a lawyer seeking to be appointed as Fawwaz's US defence counsel said: "He [Fawwaz] anticipates extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States within the next few months to face these charges."
The lawyer, David Kirby, told Reuters that he had been in touch with Fawwaz's British lawyers, who he said had told him they had exhausted all efforts to fight Fawwaz's extradition, and he could arrive in the US in the next few weeks.
Kirby's request to be appointed as Fawwaz's US defence lawyer was denied by Judge Lewis Kaplan of Manhattan federal court, who is presiding over the case. He asked him to renew his application once Fawwaz arrives.
Fawwaz, who was arrested in 1998, moved to London in the 1990s from Kenya with his family, and established an organisation called the Advice and Reformation Committee, a political group headed by Bin Laden that was said to be campaigning for peaceful reform in Saudi Arabia.
US investigators said Bin Laden, through Fawwaz, published several threats against the US in the 1990s for keeping troops in Saudi Arabia, and also against so-called crusaders for allegedly waging war on Muslims.
Fawwaz has fought against his extradition, denied any involvement with Bin Laden and rejected allegations that the committee was a British arm of al-Qaida.
Ahmed Ghailani, a former bodyguard for Bin Laden, was sentenced to life in prison in January over the embassy bombings, following a six-week trial in Manhattan. He was the first former Guantánamo Bay detainee to face a civilian trial in the US.
He was captured in 2004 in Pakistan after a battle with government troops, and was later found guilty of being part of the plot in which hundreds of were killed in twin bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
Four co-defendants of Ghailani were convicted of all charges, including joining an al-Qaida conspiracy to kill US nationals, during a 2001 trial in New York.
Prosecutors in New York have charged Khalid al-Fawwaz with helping al-Qaida to orchestrate the 1998 car bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people.
A letter from a lawyer seeking to be appointed as Fawwaz's US defence counsel said: "He [Fawwaz] anticipates extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States within the next few months to face these charges."
The lawyer, David Kirby, told Reuters that he had been in touch with Fawwaz's British lawyers, who he said had told him they had exhausted all efforts to fight Fawwaz's extradition, and he could arrive in the US in the next few weeks.
Kirby's request to be appointed as Fawwaz's US defence lawyer was denied by Judge Lewis Kaplan of Manhattan federal court, who is presiding over the case. He asked him to renew his application once Fawwaz arrives.
Fawwaz, who was arrested in 1998, moved to London in the 1990s from Kenya with his family, and established an organisation called the Advice and Reformation Committee, a political group headed by Bin Laden that was said to be campaigning for peaceful reform in Saudi Arabia.
US investigators said Bin Laden, through Fawwaz, published several threats against the US in the 1990s for keeping troops in Saudi Arabia, and also against so-called crusaders for allegedly waging war on Muslims.
Fawwaz has fought against his extradition, denied any involvement with Bin Laden and rejected allegations that the committee was a British arm of al-Qaida.
Ahmed Ghailani, a former bodyguard for Bin Laden, was sentenced to life in prison in January over the embassy bombings, following a six-week trial in Manhattan. He was the first former Guantánamo Bay detainee to face a civilian trial in the US.
He was captured in 2004 in Pakistan after a battle with government troops, and was later found guilty of being part of the plot in which hundreds of were killed in twin bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
Four co-defendants of Ghailani were convicted of all charges, including joining an al-Qaida conspiracy to kill US nationals, during a 2001 trial in New York.
Father of captured soldier seeks Pakistan's help
(AP) BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The father of the only U.S. soldier held captive in the Afghan war appealed to the Pakistani military for help in freeing his son in a video posted on YouTube on Friday.
The parents of Spc. Bowe Bergdahl have declined to say much publicly since their son went missing from his base in southern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. While it's unclear where the 25-year-old soldier is being held, a video released on the Internet earlier this week shows him standing next to a senior official in the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network in Paktika province in Afghanistan.
In Friday's video, Idaho resident Bob Bergdahl urges members of the Pakistani military to help secure his son's release. He directly references Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the head of the country's intelligence service.
"Our family is counting on your professional integrity and your honor to secure the safe return of our son," he said. "And we thank you. Our family knows the high price that has been paid by your men in the army and the frontier corps. We give our condolences and thanks to the families of those who have fallen for Pakistan."
Idaho National Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano, a liaison for the U.S. Army in Idaho, confirmed that Bob Bergdahl is the man in the video.
Wearing a long beard he began growing just after his son's capture, Bob Bergdahl speaks in both English and Arabic in the video, and he talks directly to members of the Haqqanis and their military commander, Mullah Sangeen.
"Strangely to some, we must also thank those who have cared for our son, for almost two years, Mullah Sangeen, the Haqqanis, and others who have played a role in sheltering the American prisoner," he said. "We know our son is a prisoner and at the same time a guest in your home."
The U.S. considers the Haqqani group to be its greatest enemy in Afghanistan. U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, complained last month that Pakistan's military-run intelligence service maintains links to the Haqqani network. The Haqqanis are Afghan Taliban who control parts of eastern Afghanistan and have bases in Pakistan's North Waziristan frontier tribal region.
The video comes after Osama Bin Laden's death on Sunday in Pakistan. Bergdahl doesn't allude to any relationship between that and the timing of this video.
Speaking to his son, Bob Bergdahl offered reassurances that the family has done all it can — and that they want him home safe.
"We have been quiet in public, but we have not been quiet behind the scenes," Bob Bergdahl said. "Continue to be patient and kind to those around you. You are not forgotten."
In the video, Bergdahl appears to reference the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or Taliban.
"We understand the rationale the Islamic Emirate has made through their videos," Bergdahl said. "No family in the United States understands the detainee issue like ours. Our son's safe return will only heighten public awareness of this. That said, our son is being exploited. It is past time for Bowe and the others to come home."
Bergdahl does not indicate to whom he's referring to with the phrase "the others." There are no other U.S. soldiers in captivity in Afghanistan.
Marsano said he was uncertain about the passage.
"I'm not privy to all the information Mr. Bergdahl has, nor did he ask me to expand upon his remarks," Marsano said.
A phone call to U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., wasn't immediately returned.
The Bergdahls, who live in a home outside of Hailey near the tourist resort of Sun Valley, have largely shunned media attention following their son's capture. Last year, Bowe Bergdahl's mother, Jani Bergdahl, attended an elementary school ceremony after students wrote President Barack Obama urging him to help bring about the captive's release.
The parents of Spc. Bowe Bergdahl have declined to say much publicly since their son went missing from his base in southern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. While it's unclear where the 25-year-old soldier is being held, a video released on the Internet earlier this week shows him standing next to a senior official in the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani network in Paktika province in Afghanistan.
In Friday's video, Idaho resident Bob Bergdahl urges members of the Pakistani military to help secure his son's release. He directly references Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, the head of the country's intelligence service.
"Our family is counting on your professional integrity and your honor to secure the safe return of our son," he said. "And we thank you. Our family knows the high price that has been paid by your men in the army and the frontier corps. We give our condolences and thanks to the families of those who have fallen for Pakistan."
Idaho National Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano, a liaison for the U.S. Army in Idaho, confirmed that Bob Bergdahl is the man in the video.
Wearing a long beard he began growing just after his son's capture, Bob Bergdahl speaks in both English and Arabic in the video, and he talks directly to members of the Haqqanis and their military commander, Mullah Sangeen.
"Strangely to some, we must also thank those who have cared for our son, for almost two years, Mullah Sangeen, the Haqqanis, and others who have played a role in sheltering the American prisoner," he said. "We know our son is a prisoner and at the same time a guest in your home."
The U.S. considers the Haqqani group to be its greatest enemy in Afghanistan. U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, complained last month that Pakistan's military-run intelligence service maintains links to the Haqqani network. The Haqqanis are Afghan Taliban who control parts of eastern Afghanistan and have bases in Pakistan's North Waziristan frontier tribal region.
The video comes after Osama Bin Laden's death on Sunday in Pakistan. Bergdahl doesn't allude to any relationship between that and the timing of this video.
Speaking to his son, Bob Bergdahl offered reassurances that the family has done all it can — and that they want him home safe.
"We have been quiet in public, but we have not been quiet behind the scenes," Bob Bergdahl said. "Continue to be patient and kind to those around you. You are not forgotten."
In the video, Bergdahl appears to reference the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or Taliban.
"We understand the rationale the Islamic Emirate has made through their videos," Bergdahl said. "No family in the United States understands the detainee issue like ours. Our son's safe return will only heighten public awareness of this. That said, our son is being exploited. It is past time for Bowe and the others to come home."
Bergdahl does not indicate to whom he's referring to with the phrase "the others." There are no other U.S. soldiers in captivity in Afghanistan.
Marsano said he was uncertain about the passage.
"I'm not privy to all the information Mr. Bergdahl has, nor did he ask me to expand upon his remarks," Marsano said.
A phone call to U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., wasn't immediately returned.
The Bergdahls, who live in a home outside of Hailey near the tourist resort of Sun Valley, have largely shunned media attention following their son's capture. Last year, Bowe Bergdahl's mother, Jani Bergdahl, attended an elementary school ceremony after students wrote President Barack Obama urging him to help bring about the captive's release.
Passage of growth management bill angers environmentalists
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida legislators hit environmental advocates with a one-two punch in the final two days of the session, wiping out 30 years of growth-management laws and passing measures to restrict the public from challenging controversial development projects in the name of economic development.
“This will create jobs for Florida and this will help us turn Florida in the right direction,’’ said Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, as the Senate debated the growth-management bill in the waning hours of the session Friday.
The two bills were pushed through by Republican leaders, who used their majority to squelch Democratic attempts to weaken the bills.
The sweeping growth-management bill, HB 7203, was included in the state’s $68 billion budget bill, which was approved by the House and Senate late Friday night.
The bill dismantles the Department of Community Affairs and repeals the 1985 landmark law that requires developers to take into consideration the impact of their projects on the community and the environment. Its repeal was the priority of House Speaker Dean Cannon as well as Gov. Rick Scott, who campaigned on the promise of reducing regulations he believes hamper development in Florida.
The legislation shifts oversight of development from the state to local governments while giving the state the final say over development plans that affect regions or sensitive land considered “areas of critical state concern.”
“What we really want the state of Florida to do is provide assistance when they ask, not stuff it down their throats,’’ said Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, sponsor of the Senate bill.
But environmentalists warn that the changes will dramatically change the future of Florida’s land and water resources and harm quality of life.
“More acres of wetlands will be drained and more farmland lost while we neglect to provide adequate funding for infrastructure in our cities,’’ warned Janet Bowman of the Nature Conservancy. “Is this the Florida we want to leave our children?”
While the measure gives local governments added flexibility at imposing requirements on developers, it also restricts how far they can go. The bill bans cities and counties form imposing any impact fees for nonresidential development for two years and automatically extends all permits for large-scale developments for seven years.
Environmentalists tried and failed to soften the impact of the legislation, warning that it could open the door to unfettered growth in the name of economic development.
“People are going to wake up in a couple of years and see the results of this growth management and say ‘What can we do to keep our countryside from being chewed up by development,’ ’’ said Eric Draper of Audubon of Florida. “And the answer will be nothing.’’
The original growth-management laws were enacted to curb urban sprawl that burdened roads, utilities and water supplies. But legislators said that over the years the laws became too complicated and the layers of rules too deep.
The changes remove the requirement that schools, parks and roads be built along with the development that uses them, but it allows local governments to decide whether they want to impose similar requirements.
The bill was such a priority that House and Senate leaders took the unusual move of tucking the House’s growth-management bill into a must-pass budget document. The Senate approved it 31-8, while the House voted it 87-31.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/06/2205303/passage-of-growth-management-bill.html#ixzz1Ld5UgZye
“This will create jobs for Florida and this will help us turn Florida in the right direction,’’ said Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, as the Senate debated the growth-management bill in the waning hours of the session Friday.
The two bills were pushed through by Republican leaders, who used their majority to squelch Democratic attempts to weaken the bills.
The sweeping growth-management bill, HB 7203, was included in the state’s $68 billion budget bill, which was approved by the House and Senate late Friday night.
The bill dismantles the Department of Community Affairs and repeals the 1985 landmark law that requires developers to take into consideration the impact of their projects on the community and the environment. Its repeal was the priority of House Speaker Dean Cannon as well as Gov. Rick Scott, who campaigned on the promise of reducing regulations he believes hamper development in Florida.
The legislation shifts oversight of development from the state to local governments while giving the state the final say over development plans that affect regions or sensitive land considered “areas of critical state concern.”
“What we really want the state of Florida to do is provide assistance when they ask, not stuff it down their throats,’’ said Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, sponsor of the Senate bill.
But environmentalists warn that the changes will dramatically change the future of Florida’s land and water resources and harm quality of life.
“More acres of wetlands will be drained and more farmland lost while we neglect to provide adequate funding for infrastructure in our cities,’’ warned Janet Bowman of the Nature Conservancy. “Is this the Florida we want to leave our children?”
While the measure gives local governments added flexibility at imposing requirements on developers, it also restricts how far they can go. The bill bans cities and counties form imposing any impact fees for nonresidential development for two years and automatically extends all permits for large-scale developments for seven years.
Environmentalists tried and failed to soften the impact of the legislation, warning that it could open the door to unfettered growth in the name of economic development.
“People are going to wake up in a couple of years and see the results of this growth management and say ‘What can we do to keep our countryside from being chewed up by development,’ ’’ said Eric Draper of Audubon of Florida. “And the answer will be nothing.’’
The original growth-management laws were enacted to curb urban sprawl that burdened roads, utilities and water supplies. But legislators said that over the years the laws became too complicated and the layers of rules too deep.
The changes remove the requirement that schools, parks and roads be built along with the development that uses them, but it allows local governments to decide whether they want to impose similar requirements.
The bill was such a priority that House and Senate leaders took the unusual move of tucking the House’s growth-management bill into a must-pass budget document. The Senate approved it 31-8, while the House voted it 87-31.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/06/2205303/passage-of-growth-management-bill.html#ixzz1Ld5UgZye
New Android IceCream Sandwich version on the way
It is expected to be Android version 3.1 and is likely to be a merger of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
The next version of Android operating system will be known as Ice Cream Sandwich, a posting by Google engineer Romain Guy has indicated.
It is expected to be version 3.1 of Android, and is likely to be a merger of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman, had recently indicated that the name of the next version of Android would start with 'I' or may even be 'Ice Cream. Even Android chief Andy Rubin had dropped some hints about it in an interview with a news website some time back.
The earlier versions of Android are called Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo (Frozen Yogurt), Gingerbread and Honeycomb. As users may notice, all the versions are named after desserts, and Ice Cream Sandwich could be a new addition to the list.
Honeycomb is the only version that has been created specifically for tablets. The use of the word 'Sandwich' also suggests that it could be a combination of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
The next version of Android operating system will be known as Ice Cream Sandwich, a posting by Google engineer Romain Guy has indicated.
It is expected to be version 3.1 of Android, and is likely to be a merger of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
Eric Schmidt, Google's chairman, had recently indicated that the name of the next version of Android would start with 'I' or may even be 'Ice Cream. Even Android chief Andy Rubin had dropped some hints about it in an interview with a news website some time back.
The earlier versions of Android are called Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo (Frozen Yogurt), Gingerbread and Honeycomb. As users may notice, all the versions are named after desserts, and Ice Cream Sandwich could be a new addition to the list.
Honeycomb is the only version that has been created specifically for tablets. The use of the word 'Sandwich' also suggests that it could be a combination of smartphone and tablet operating systems.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play: For entertainment, by the entertainers
In comparison to competitors such as Motorola Atrix and LG Optimus 2X, the phone does succeeded to leave an imprint in the users' mind but some features need improvement as well.
When the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play entered the market, it generated a lot of discussion. Xperia play is a combination of an Android 2.4 Gingerbread based Xperia phone and Sony's handheld gaming device 'PlayStation'.
Naturally, it prompted the users to expect a Playstattion like performance from this device. Unfortunately, the Android games available for Sony Ericsson Xperia Play do not have any exclusivity attached to them.
Sony Ericsson has managed to fit in a four inch display, which works just fine when users are playing indoors. But the screen does not give the desired gaming experience outdoors. Due to the curved design, the phone sets itself nicely into the hands of the users. The smoothness of the sliding mechanism is also commendable; sometimes it opens unintentionally too!
Users would be very glad to discover that the SIM card and MicroSD cards can be accessed with no need to remove the battery at all.
The device has been created for entertainment and it reflects in the product. Take the speakers for example, which are way better than other phones. The RAM available for games is 400 MB out of total 512 MB, which is okay but isn't sufficient for the hard core gamers who are always hankering for more.
It has 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chip that gives more power to the users compared to Motorola Atrix and LG Optimus 2X that have use dual core systems on a chip.
The plastic used to build the outside of the device could have been better. Once you go inside the device, apart from the trademark PlayStation game controller, rest of the device is more like other Android phones.
Xperia Play runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3.2. Gaming on this phone gives a feel of PlayStation, and the graphics, though not intense, work well for the users. Use of the touchpad needs some learning, be ready for it. The problem is, most of the Sony gamers are used to analog joysticks, so the touchpad might feel a bit difficult for them to use.
Battery life is not that great, but if you consider one days worth of (on and off) gaming as adequate then the battery works just fine for you. The software extras used by Sony Ericsson on the Xperia Play are going against the battery, and it is something Sony Ericsson can easily take care of. For gaming, the phone works well for users but in endurance tests, other phones with a better battery life may end up doing well.
When the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play entered the market, it generated a lot of discussion. Xperia play is a combination of an Android 2.4 Gingerbread based Xperia phone and Sony's handheld gaming device 'PlayStation'.
Naturally, it prompted the users to expect a Playstattion like performance from this device. Unfortunately, the Android games available for Sony Ericsson Xperia Play do not have any exclusivity attached to them.
Sony Ericsson has managed to fit in a four inch display, which works just fine when users are playing indoors. But the screen does not give the desired gaming experience outdoors. Due to the curved design, the phone sets itself nicely into the hands of the users. The smoothness of the sliding mechanism is also commendable; sometimes it opens unintentionally too!
Users would be very glad to discover that the SIM card and MicroSD cards can be accessed with no need to remove the battery at all.
The device has been created for entertainment and it reflects in the product. Take the speakers for example, which are way better than other phones. The RAM available for games is 400 MB out of total 512 MB, which is okay but isn't sufficient for the hard core gamers who are always hankering for more.
It has 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chip that gives more power to the users compared to Motorola Atrix and LG Optimus 2X that have use dual core systems on a chip.
The plastic used to build the outside of the device could have been better. Once you go inside the device, apart from the trademark PlayStation game controller, rest of the device is more like other Android phones.
Xperia Play runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3.2. Gaming on this phone gives a feel of PlayStation, and the graphics, though not intense, work well for the users. Use of the touchpad needs some learning, be ready for it. The problem is, most of the Sony gamers are used to analog joysticks, so the touchpad might feel a bit difficult for them to use.
Battery life is not that great, but if you consider one days worth of (on and off) gaming as adequate then the battery works just fine for you. The software extras used by Sony Ericsson on the Xperia Play are going against the battery, and it is something Sony Ericsson can easily take care of. For gaming, the phone works well for users but in endurance tests, other phones with a better battery life may end up doing well.
Google Android tops smartphone platform market in U.S.: research
SAN FRANCISCO, May 6 (Xinhua)-- Latest research released Friday shows that Google Android has become the No.1 smartphone platform in the United States in the first quarter as more smartphone manufacturers have adopted the operating system.
During the three months ending in March, Google Android grew 6. 0 percentage points to 34.7 percent market share, among the 72.5 million U.S. smartphone users, reported comScore, an Internet marketing research company.
The number of smartphone users increased by 15 percent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, said the research.
Research in Motion, developer of Blackberry smartphones, ranked second with 27.1 percent, a slide of 4.5 percentage points on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Apple grew 0.5 points to 25.5 percent share, followed by Microsoft (7.5 percent) and Palm (2.8 percent).
According to the research, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices in the first quarter. Samsung ranked as the top handset maker with 24.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, and LG ranked second with 20.9 percent share, followed by Motorola (15.8 percent) and RIM (8.4 percent). Apple continued to gain share following the launch of the Verizon iPhone, growing by 1.1 percentage points to 7.9 percent of subscribers.
On mobile content use, 68.6 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device in March. Browsers were used by 38.6 percent of subscribers (up 2.2 percentage points), while downloaded applications were used by 37.3 percent (up 2.9 percentage points).
Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 2.6 percentage points, representing 27.3 percent of mobile subscribers. Playing games comprised 25.7 percent of the mobile audience, while listening to music represented 17.9 percent, said the report.
During the three months ending in March, Google Android grew 6. 0 percentage points to 34.7 percent market share, among the 72.5 million U.S. smartphone users, reported comScore, an Internet marketing research company.
The number of smartphone users increased by 15 percent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, said the research.
Research in Motion, developer of Blackberry smartphones, ranked second with 27.1 percent, a slide of 4.5 percentage points on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Apple grew 0.5 points to 25.5 percent share, followed by Microsoft (7.5 percent) and Palm (2.8 percent).
According to the research, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices in the first quarter. Samsung ranked as the top handset maker with 24.5 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, and LG ranked second with 20.9 percent share, followed by Motorola (15.8 percent) and RIM (8.4 percent). Apple continued to gain share following the launch of the Verizon iPhone, growing by 1.1 percentage points to 7.9 percent of subscribers.
On mobile content use, 68.6 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers used text messaging on their mobile device in March. Browsers were used by 38.6 percent of subscribers (up 2.2 percentage points), while downloaded applications were used by 37.3 percent (up 2.9 percentage points).
Accessing of social networking sites or blogs increased 2.6 percentage points, representing 27.3 percent of mobile subscribers. Playing games comprised 25.7 percent of the mobile audience, while listening to music represented 17.9 percent, said the report.
Hands-On With Samsung’s Mammoth Android Phone, the Infuse 4G
When it comes to smartphones, how big is too big?
Samsung obviously isn’t preoccupied with that question, as evidenced by its latest Android device release, the Infuse 4G.
As soon as you pop the phone out of the box, the first thing you notice is its size. The thing is massive. It needs to be, though, in order to support its 4.5-inch super AMOLED display. Save for the first Dell Streak smartphone-cum-tablet hybrid — whose screen is a whopping 5-inches — the Infuse is packing one of the largest screens we’ve seen on a smartphone.
This is a good thing. I watched the HD trailer for Cowboys and Aliens on the little silver screen and could practically feel the trail dust on my face. The picture quality was excellent, and as bright as can be. I did wish the Infuse came with a little kickstand for my movie watching, something akin to what the HTC Thunderbolt has on its back. With this phone’s slick edges, it won’t be very stable propped up on my airplane tray table during a long flight.
After seeing how well the screen handled the trailer, I could see myself using Samsung’s Media Hub store, which lets you download from a library of thousands of HD movies. To sweeten the pot, Samsung throws in a $25 credit with the phone, which is enough to rent about 6 films.
Size has its disadvantages. After sitting down with the phone in my pocket, it felt a bit like a splint trying to straighten my upper thigh. And I don’t even wear skinny jeans.
But for being such a fatty in pure surface area, the thickness of the phone is surprisingly svelte. Samsung boasts that the Infuse is the “thinnest 4G smartphone out there today.” It’s light, too. Airy, not terribly bulky, if not a little too light. I personally prefer a bit more heft in my device — one of my biggest complaints with its Nexus S brother was the light, plasticky build that made me feel that I’d break it if I wasn’t delicate enough.
The removable plastic backing that protects the phone’s innards is thin and flimsy. It practically peels off the back of the handset, and I was worried I’d snap it in half while I took it off to look under the hood.
Samsung included a few perks that I don’t often see come with other phones. The Infuse comes with a 2-GB micro SD card, saving you a trip to Radio Shack. It also comes with a microSD adapter card, so if you’ve got a regular-sized card reader built into your laptop, transferring files is easy as pie.
An issue: The phone doesn’t have HDMI-out on the handset itself (Samsung probably ran out of room, being its “thinnest” phone to date), which is a bummer. Samsung remedies this, however, with an included MHL adapter. With a screen this big, you may wonder if you need anything else, but you might find times when an HDTV is easier to watch.
Like every other 2011 Android smartphone release, the phone doesn’t ship with the latest version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but instead runs 2.2 (Froyo). I’ve almost ceased to mention this in reviews, since it’s been the case in every new phone we’re seeing. Still, the fact that it’s not on this phone while it is on Samsung’s nearly six-month old Nexus S (which was launched in conjunction with Google) is disheartening, to say the least.
Listen up, bird-chucking addicts: The Infuse 4G comes bundled with a copy of Angry Birds, complete with hidden level only available to Infuse owners. Whoop.
Both the 8-megapixel back-facing camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera take clear, crisp photos, which can be auto-uploaded to an AT&T-hosted online locker for storage or sharing, which I found pretty cool.
Overall, Samsung has created a media hub, as much as a smartphone, in the Infuse 4G. All of the included attachments practically beg for you to use it as such, and from my initial tests, it delivers.
As for the phone’s performance on AT&T’s network, that’s something to be saved for a longer review.
Beginning May 15, the phone will be available on AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network for $200 with a two-year contract.
Samsung obviously isn’t preoccupied with that question, as evidenced by its latest Android device release, the Infuse 4G.
As soon as you pop the phone out of the box, the first thing you notice is its size. The thing is massive. It needs to be, though, in order to support its 4.5-inch super AMOLED display. Save for the first Dell Streak smartphone-cum-tablet hybrid — whose screen is a whopping 5-inches — the Infuse is packing one of the largest screens we’ve seen on a smartphone.
This is a good thing. I watched the HD trailer for Cowboys and Aliens on the little silver screen and could practically feel the trail dust on my face. The picture quality was excellent, and as bright as can be. I did wish the Infuse came with a little kickstand for my movie watching, something akin to what the HTC Thunderbolt has on its back. With this phone’s slick edges, it won’t be very stable propped up on my airplane tray table during a long flight.
After seeing how well the screen handled the trailer, I could see myself using Samsung’s Media Hub store, which lets you download from a library of thousands of HD movies. To sweeten the pot, Samsung throws in a $25 credit with the phone, which is enough to rent about 6 films.
Size has its disadvantages. After sitting down with the phone in my pocket, it felt a bit like a splint trying to straighten my upper thigh. And I don’t even wear skinny jeans.
But for being such a fatty in pure surface area, the thickness of the phone is surprisingly svelte. Samsung boasts that the Infuse is the “thinnest 4G smartphone out there today.” It’s light, too. Airy, not terribly bulky, if not a little too light. I personally prefer a bit more heft in my device — one of my biggest complaints with its Nexus S brother was the light, plasticky build that made me feel that I’d break it if I wasn’t delicate enough.
The removable plastic backing that protects the phone’s innards is thin and flimsy. It practically peels off the back of the handset, and I was worried I’d snap it in half while I took it off to look under the hood.
Samsung included a few perks that I don’t often see come with other phones. The Infuse comes with a 2-GB micro SD card, saving you a trip to Radio Shack. It also comes with a microSD adapter card, so if you’ve got a regular-sized card reader built into your laptop, transferring files is easy as pie.
An issue: The phone doesn’t have HDMI-out on the handset itself (Samsung probably ran out of room, being its “thinnest” phone to date), which is a bummer. Samsung remedies this, however, with an included MHL adapter. With a screen this big, you may wonder if you need anything else, but you might find times when an HDTV is easier to watch.
Like every other 2011 Android smartphone release, the phone doesn’t ship with the latest version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but instead runs 2.2 (Froyo). I’ve almost ceased to mention this in reviews, since it’s been the case in every new phone we’re seeing. Still, the fact that it’s not on this phone while it is on Samsung’s nearly six-month old Nexus S (which was launched in conjunction with Google) is disheartening, to say the least.
Listen up, bird-chucking addicts: The Infuse 4G comes bundled with a copy of Angry Birds, complete with hidden level only available to Infuse owners. Whoop.
Both the 8-megapixel back-facing camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera take clear, crisp photos, which can be auto-uploaded to an AT&T-hosted online locker for storage or sharing, which I found pretty cool.
Overall, Samsung has created a media hub, as much as a smartphone, in the Infuse 4G. All of the included attachments practically beg for you to use it as such, and from my initial tests, it delivers.
As for the phone’s performance on AT&T’s network, that’s something to be saved for a longer review.
Beginning May 15, the phone will be available on AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network for $200 with a two-year contract.
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