Friday, 13 August 2010

Android Community

Android Community

Dell Streak Update to Android 2.1 Leaks [Video]

Posted: 13 Aug 2010 09:58 AM PDT

This wouldn’t be the first time a version of the Android mobile Operating System leaked out ahead of its intended launch. In fact, it’s pretty much a common occurrence now-a-days. Nothing wrong with that at all. This time around, it’s for those over there in the UK who’ve managed to pick up one of Dell’s Mobile Internet Devices/tablets. The leaked version hit the Internet earlier today, and plenty of Streak owners managed to go through the update process and take in all the updated goodness.

The update to Android 2.1 may not be as extravagant as many would hope, though. As we’ve seen in the past, while it does add some improvements, it also takes a few things away from the previous version that many would probably have preferred to keep. There’s a video of the Streak running the new version of Android in all its glory, so go ahead and check it out below. And if you find yourself in the UK and have managed to update your Streak, let us know in the comments what you think of it so far.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via EuroDroid]

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HTC Merge Makes an Appearance in Verizon Inventory, Android in Tow

Posted: 13 Aug 2010 09:49 AM PDT

At this point, we can safely assume that HTC has a ton of Android-based devices coming down the pipe. So many, in fact, that one or two of them can manage to sneak into a wireless company’s inventory, and no one be the wiser. At least, not right away. There’s no telling how long the HTC Merge has been hanging out in Verizon’s inventory, or whether or not there’s actually any models floating around somewhere, but this screen definitely tells us that, at some point, Verizon either intends to sell, or intended to sell this Android-based device.

As you can imagine, there’s not much to go on here. Just the name of the device (Merge), who it’s manufactured by (HTC), and that it’s running Android. Oh, and that it’s a smartphone. Other than that, the details are non-existent. The real question is: when will HTC or Verizon come clean on the handset? Depending on the specs, that could fall anywhere between tomorrow and never. Or perhaps more importantly: which version of Android will it launch with?

[via Phandroid]

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Motorola Droid 2 Advertisement “Digits” Shows Up Online

Posted: 13 Aug 2010 09:40 AM PDT

The successor to the original Droid, the Motorola Droid 2, launched yesterday. It’s what many people consider a soft launch, as there wasn’t much official press lingering around anywhere about its existence. We had heard in the past that, due to the fact that the Droid X launched less than a month before, that Verizon was waiting to pull the trigger on their monstrous Droid advertising campaign for the Droid 2 until the end of the month. But, that hasn’t stopped at least one commercial from finding its way onto the Internet.

The new commercial, meant to showcase the Motorola Droid 2’s brand new “upgraded” physical keyboard, starts off as the normal Droid ads do. A normal person, who then starts playing around with the Droid device. Suddenly, they’re becoming more robotic than anything else. As usual, the production value on the commercial itself is top-notch, but considering the amount that this guy turns into a robot . . . Well, you may want to cover the eyes of small children. Watch the video below and let us know what you think in the comments.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via Verizon Wireless' YouTube Channel]

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HTC Lexikon and HTC Bee specs outed from ROMS

Posted: 13 Aug 2010 05:40 AM PDT

Details of two new HTC Android smartphones have emerged, seemingly dug out of the company’s own ROMs by 911HTC.  According to the site, the HTC Bee and HTC Lexikon each run Android 2.2 Froyo, with the Bee packing a lowly 528MHz MSM7625 chipset while the Lexikon gets a somewhat more satisfying 800MHz MSM7630.

Both have a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, but the Bee has a 3.2-inch QVGA display while the Lexikon gets a larger 3.8-inch WVGA panel; both run HTC Sense.  The Lexikon also packs a QWERTY keyboard, which suggests it might be another version of the HTC Vision (though the vision has a 3.7-inch display).

According to 911HTC, the HTC Bee is a CDMA device for Verizon (as well as Cellular/UTSTARCOM/Alltel/CellSouth); no word on who might be offering the Lexikon.

[via Coolsmartphone]

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iFixit tears up Droid 2 so you don’t have to

Posted: 13 Aug 2010 04:43 AM PDT

When a new gadget launches geeks everywhere want to know the new device in and out. Therefore, we all knew this day was going for the Droid 2. The device has been officially torn down over at iFixit.

I will say that the Droid 2 has a lot of parts. A lot of the gear I have seen lately has had surprisingly few parts on the inside. I always wonder what they do with the phones they take apart over at iFixit. I bet they go back together and hit eBay.

You can check out all the photos of the teardown over at iFixit. Should you ever find your Droid 2 needs some repairs, you know where to come.

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Google Updates Gesture Search, Now With Flipping Action

Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:53 PM PDT

Last year, Google unveiled a new way for you to search. They like to do that kind of thing, after all. This time around, it was meant for Android-only devices, and you could use our finger to simply draw a shape, and find a result. For example, drawing an “n” would get you “n”-based results. While it was a great idea, the only tricky part came in the fact that you had to launch an application to get any searching done, and that’s just no good.

So, Google have announced that they’ve updated Gesture Search to 1.2, and that means you now get “flipping action.” Basically, if you flick your device away from you, and then back towards you, Gesture Search will activate all on its own. Giving you the ability to draw your letter, find what you want, and do it all without actually having to find the application’s icon and launch it from the homescreen.

Unfortunately, Gesture Search still only works for Android-based devices on 1.6 or above, so all you 1.5 users out there, you’re still out of luck. But, there’s not many of you out there anymore, right?

[via TechRadar]

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Dell Blaze Appears on the Scene, Shows Off Android 1.5

Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:37 PM PDT

We’ll go ahead and assume that Dell must not have received the memo. You know the one, where it says that most devices are now running Android 2.x, and that 1.5 is just about as archaic as it gets? That’s the one. Why do we say that? Because the Dell Blaze has just shown up on the scene, and apparently it’s running 1.5. Some how, 1.6 must have gotten overlooked for whatever reason (maybe Dell doesn’t want you to actually use the device).

Thanks to some leaked images, the Dell Blaze looks as “entry-level” as it gets. Something, perhaps, to combat the many Motoblur devices out there. Who knows. Other than the 1.5 version number of the Operating System, there isn’t much else to go on here. Details are scant for the moment, but we’re sure that Dell will love to get the official word out on this one. Anyone expect a wireless carrier to jump on this one?

[via IntoMobile]

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Voice Actions for Android Make Utilizing Your Phone More Natural

Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:30 PM PDT

We have these fancy new touchscreens, which have made using our devices so much easier, that may make this article seem a bit strange. But, thanks to Google and their mobile services, we can say that their brand new update to the voice application is something that’s piquing our interest. Called Voice Actions for Android, it’s meant for Froyo-based devices, and it’s supposed to make utilizing your device a lot more natural, and easier.

Here’s the full list of actions you can have your phone do, thanks to the new voice commands:

send text to [contact] [message]
listen to [artist/song/album]
call [business]
call [contact]
send email to [contact] [message]
go to [website]
note to self [note]
navigate to [location/business name]
directions to [location/business name]
map of [location]

Having a nice mixture of voice commands, which can be utilized at any moment, plus the ability to navigate through your device with the flick of a finger is something that sounds pretty much amazing to us. We wish it was accessible on more devices at the moment, but we understand that due to the feature itself, it just probably isn’t worthwhile. So for now, it will only work on the HTC EVO 4G, Motorola Droid (those that have been upgraded to Android 2.2, of course), the Motorola Droid 2, and Nexus One. Not sure if it works on rooted devices running Android 2.2 at this point, but it probably does. If you try out the application, let us know in the comments what you think of it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via SlashGear]

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Verizon: Two Android 2.2 Updates for Motorola Droid Business Customers

Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:23 PM PDT

The Motorola Droid’s update to Android 2.2 (Froyo) hasn’t been a rough ride, necessarily, but it also hasn’t been the smoothest one, either. With so many different leaks, leading to different rumors running rampant out there, it could have been tough for anyone to keep up with it all. If you’ll recall, that FRG22 article we wrote up last week, detailing how Verizon was making that version number the final Froyo update for the original Droid? Yeah, that one. Well, apparently that’s still kicking around internally at Verizon, because it seems that Business customers are going to actually be getting two updates — the last one, being FRG22.

According to a page sent out to those customers, it outlines how the first update that rolls out to their phones will bring the actual Froyo update to their handset. The second update will be bringing Flash Player 10.1. Two updates, which makes a lot of sense, considering that on August 18th, Flash Player will become available in the Market. Unfortunately, the letter doesn’t give any kind of date when this is all going to go down.

[via Droid-Life]

From the Letter

A DROID update for you and your employees

DROID by Motorola – even better with Android™ 2.2 (Froyo)!
Within the next few weeks, two over the air software updates will be sent to the DROID
devices on your company's account. The first update will bring the device operating
system to Android 2.2. The second update will enable users to download Adobe® Flash®
Player 10 for Android to the device once it is available in the Android Marketplace.

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Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 Special Edition Hitting Shelves September 30th

Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:15 PM PDT

As soon as news broke that an R2-D2 inspired Motorola Droid 2 would be gracing the real world, Star Wars fans all over the place got a little bit more excited for one of their little robots. Now that the Droid 2 has officially launched, a lot of people remained, asking where on Earth (or perhaps, in the galaxy) their blue-and-white version was. It looks like we finally have an answer, and how fitting that it gets revealed today.

Not that this is any kind of anniversary or anything, just that it’s the launch day of the Droid 2. Thanks to some tipsters hanging out at a Star Wars convention, where there’s plenty of Droid 2 R2-D2 propaganda around, the launch of the device looks like it will be September 30th. That’s not too far from today (just over a month and a half), but a little waiting never hurt anyone. Right?

[via Android Central]

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TweetDeck Beta for Android Now Available for Download

Posted: 12 Aug 2010 03:06 PM PDT

Just as we had reported yesterday, after the initial leak of the older version of TweetDeck for Android, the company has officially opened their doors to the public Beta for the Twitter client. You’ll have to go through some steps to get your fingers moseying through the brand new client, but that’s not a problem, right? For as long as you’ve probably waited for TweetDeck to make an appearance on Android, what’s another few more clicks to gain access to the Beta?

The Beta is working a lot better than that leaked version, that’s for sure. And if you’re interested in getting your own client on your own Android device, go ahead and head through the source, and follow the on screen instructions. You can either just sign into your TweetDeck account, or sign up for a new one — whichever suits you best. After we created a new account, it barely took a handful of minutes before we got our invite — so hopefully it won’t take you too long, either. As soon as you download it, let us know in the comments what you think of it.

[via TweetDeck]

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Motorola Droid 2 Unboxed and Handled by SlashGear

Posted: 12 Aug 2010 02:25 PM PDT

It’s that time again, folks. The fine fellows over at SlashGear have managed to get a far more in-depth hands-on look and feel of the Motorola Droid 2, and they’ve been gracious enough to share it with the rest of us. They’ve even gone a step further, and pulled out the original Droid. They’ve done a nice comparison of the two devices, which is reasonable, considering the major similarities the two devices share.

But of course, there’s plenty of differences to point out. Such as, the Droid 2 is actually the first device in the Android line-up to officially launch with Android 2.2. Additionally, when compared to the original Droid, the Droid 2 features a 1GHz processor, and an updated Motoblur experience (the original was stock Android). It also has the ability to function as a mobile hotspot. So if you’ve been holding off to take the plunge in purchasing your new Droid 2, check out all of the snapshots and full hands-on over at SlashGear, right there through the source link. And enjoy the videos, too.

[via SlashGear]

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