Sunday, 12 September 2010

Android Community

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Android Community Week in Review: Week 36 2010

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 10:41 PM PDT

This week in Android news has been full of tablets, market share growth, Google Music, Bing and even more tablet news. We have seen many tablets announced this week with 5 of them being from Archos alone. The tablet market for the Android platform is shaping up and growing quickly, but even that didn't stop Google from giving their 2-cents on tablets using their Android OS.



This week Google let everyone know that Android 2.2 (Froyo) is not optimized for tablets, and may even go as far as blocking access to their Android Market on devices larger than a mobile phone form factor. This came as no surprise because the Android system is simply not made for tablets and Google wants users to experience the best possible experience with all of their software.

Another big story of the week was Verizon's apparent announcement, then clarification, of Microsoft's search engine Bing. It all started when Samsung's Fascinate was launched with Bing preloaded as the default search engine with no apparent way to change it. The internet blew up with accusations of Verizon making it the default search engine on all of their future devices. After this blew up on the net, Verizon came out with the statement that follows:

"…that is not true. We have a relationship with Microsoft and Bing is the search engine on our multi-media phones but we have never said it would be exclusive on all of our devices."

And finally this week, sources were saying that Google really wants to have released their much anticipated iTunes rival, Google Music, by Christmas of this year. As of now, they have not currently been in talks with music labels, but if they were to get this service up and running along with Android 3.0 at the end of this year, they should be starting to get deals ironed out very soon.

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DirecTV NFL SUNDAY TICKET To-Go Streaming to Android devices

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 10:27 PM PDT

If you follow the NFL you now have the option to never miss a game, even when you're nowhere near a TV. With DirecTV's Sunday Ticket To-Go they are offering streaming to all of your mobile devices such as your android device or computer. All that is required is a current subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket, the NFL Sunday Ticket To-Go package, and your mobile device or laptop.

The Sunday Ticket To-Go mobile package costs $49.95 and includes the following:

  • Live Streaming Video: Every game, every Sunday. You can switch from game to game at any time, plus the Red Zone channel.
  • Highlights: The big moments from any game can be played either individually or consecutively.
  • Scores & Game Status: See scores for the weeks completed and in-progress games as well as the schedule for upcoming games.
  • Instant Stats: Bring up player stats and performance instantly for each game.

Tap for market link - mobile browsers

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Samsung Galaxy Tab coming to A&T, Verizon, and Sprint this month?

Posted: 11 Sep 2010 10:19 PM PDT

While news of the upcoming Galaxy Tab from Samsung is hard to come by these days, if "people familiar with the matter" are correct we will be seeing a multi-carrier rollout in just a few days, starting September 16th. Samsung is said to have made deals with these three carriers to launch to a broader audience and hopefully offering flexibility will result in more sales. This is a competitive strategy, Samsung is already estimating they will sell ten million units this year alone, and with a multi-carrier rollout this is very possible.

The Galaxy Tab's pricing is said to be anywhere from $200 to $1200. The interesting thing here is how, if the reports are true, Samsung has managed to make deals with AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint with a non-exclusive tablet that competes with their own products. They must have offered the hardware at a very low cost to all carriers to get them to all agree on selling the Tab this coming Thursday.

We will be finding out soon the plans of the upcoming tablet, so stay tuned.

[Via CrunchGear]

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Samsung Fascinate Known Launch Bugs According to Verizon

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 03:48 PM PDT

No cellphone can ship perfectly with no bugs. Usually it is up to the end users via forums to find and report such bugs. This is not the case with the Samsung Fascinate that launched 2 days ago online and yesterday in stores. In fact a document with all of the know bugs has been shared with the folks at Boy Genius Report.

These bugs range from very annoying (call disconnecting if you press the search button) to fairly harmless (no message delete status). Below are some of the more interesting bugs you should check out so you know what to avoid during your first few weeks with the device until they are all patched.

  • Call Disconnect:
If you are on a call or in the process of receiving an incoming call and you press the search button the call may be disconnected.
  • Blank Screen:
If you are on a call and a second call comes in, you get the correct Caller ID information. If you answer the second call, the caller ID screen goes blank and does not show any caller information.
  • Exchange Security Policy Email Password:
There is no ability to change the device password after Exchange security policy is applied. There is no password option in the Location & Security settings menu, only swipe unlock settings
  • Not Available via Wi-Fi:
If the device is in WIFI mode you will not be able to access the over the air software update system (FOTA).
  • Same Number Listed Multiple Times:
When syncing contacts from multiple sources, contacts with the same name will be combined but the actual numbers are not compared so you may have the same number listed more then once under a contact
  • You can not run the VZnavigator application when in WIFI mode

[Via BGR]

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Updated TweetDeck comes to Android, now with three widgets

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 12:40 PM PDT

When the TweetDeck beta was released early last month users were disappointed to see that the application did not have any widgets associated with it. However, now with the latest update they bring not one, but three widgets.

Currently bugged layout in Post Tweet widget

The widgets come as a bar, column, and post versions. You can now post tweets from your homescreen without having to open the application (currently bugged layout – seen above). The column widget allows you to see recent tweets (only two) and is still a bit cramped for space. However, this update is new and the bugs will be worked out soon as well as some changes that will make them just as anyone would expect.

[Via Into Mobile]

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Another SMS Sending Trojan Released onto Android Devices

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 12:13 PM PDT

The latest SMS Trojan, Trojan-SMS-AndroidOS-FakePlayer-B, is now being distributed via Russian-language sites that are offering up video clips. Although it has not yet been spotted on any other sites, it could make it's way to english based and other sites in the near future. When you visit this site on another mobile platform you receive the desired clip, however, if you are running the Android OS the trojan will download itself (with your unaware consent). This particular method of delivery implies that the people who are running and hosting these sites are in on the scam and it's not accidental.

Like the similar trojan before it, once installed, your phone will being sending SMS messages to a premium rate number costing $6 a message. This is all done with a background process so infected users will only find out they have been compromised when they receive the bill. As with most trojans, this can be prevented by simply only navigating to sites you trust, as well as paying close attention to the services that an application is seeking permission to access.

The success of the Android Operating System along with it's growing user base and market share is making it an even more attractive target for trojans like these. As of now there are actually very few malicious applications targeting the mobile platform, however anti-virus experts expect that to change in the coming years as it's popularity increases.

[Via Information Week]

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