Monday, 11 October 2010

Android Community

Android Community

Verizon’s Samsung Galaxy Tab’s User Guide Hits the Web

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 11:06 AM PDT

We heard earlier today that the rumored launch date for the Verizon edition of the Samsung Galaxy Tab would be the first of November. Now the user guide has been leaked, leading us to believe the much hyped 7-inch tablet isn't far from release at all.


The user guide is currently a "work in progress" suggests phone capabilities which have been denied for the US launch version of the device. Another interesting bit of information is it's currently equipped with Google Search, and not Bing which Verizon has started to favor heavily.

Preloaded apps include the following:

  • VZ Navigator
  • VCAST Music/Video
  • Kindle
  • ThinkFree Office Suite
  • NFL Mobile
  • Slacker

No word yet, officially, but if all of these leaks are any indication of launch, we will be seeing the Galaxy Tab in the United States very soon.

[Via DroidLife]

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Samsung Transform and Sanyo Zio available Today

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 10:09 AM PDT

Two of the three devices Sprint announced at CTIA last week are now available. The 2.1 running Samsung Transform, and the sleek Sanyo Zio by Kyocera are now available in store or at Sprint.com.


The Zio features a 3.5-inch WVGA touch-screen with a resolution of 480 x 800, 3.2 MP camera/camcorder with auto-focus, microSD card slot including a 2GB card, BlueTooth, WiFi, GPS, and 3G. Other features include: Intuitive trackball for easy navigation, Visual voicemail, Sprint Music Plus, Sprint Zone, and support for the new Sprint ID system.

The Transform features a 3.5-inch HVGA touch-screen display, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, dual cameras – 3.2 MP rear-facing camera with flash, and a front-facing VGA camera for video conferencing – 800 MHz processor, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and 3G.

You can pick up the Transform for $199.99 after $100 mail-in rebate, and the Zio for $100.

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Samsung UK still working on Froyo, Updates to come

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 09:37 AM PDT

A week after this last update, which said the same thing, we are informed again that Froyo will be coming soon. Originally set to launch at the end of September the 2.2 update has been pushed back even further. Other than that details are scarce, however, we do know that the update will not be over-the-air and, when released, will be available via Samsung Kies.

We're very sorry about the delay with the release of Froyo. We’re working on it round the clock & will post an update as soon as we have one

They are currently working on the update "around the clock" and promise further updates as soon as they can. The wait can't be much longer so Android users in the UK will soon be getting their hands on some Froyo goodness.

[Via SamsungUKMobile Twitter]

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Best Buy Also considering an Android App Store

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 09:21 AM PDT

It seems these days everyone is trying to open up a virtual App Store. Following Google, Verizon, and Amazon Best Buy has been confirmed to be in the "early stage" of the development of such a store.

In the Wall Street Journal article regarding Amazon's App Store published last week, Chief Executive Brain Dunn responded to a question about the notion of an Amazon app store. His response was as follows:

“We are exploring this concept at this very early stage, but we have no concrete plans at this time. Google, though, is an obvious partner.”

Gartner analyst Ray Valdaz had something to say about the introduction of many app stores:

“New people will continue to introduce app stores—carrier telcos, device manufacturers, e-commerce sites, but it will be like people having a fax machine—it is not a game changer, but just part of doing business.”

What do you think? Will new markets be a good or bad thing in the long run of the Android platform? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Samsung Galaxy Tab Rumored to Hit Verizon November 1

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 08:49 AM PDT

According to rumored reports Galaxy Tab will be on sale with Verizon as early as November 1. Other reports have claimed that Galaxy Tab will be available with a 2-year T-Mobile contract for $399, or $649 full price.  However, there was another rumor out Friday suggesting a Sprint version will hit the market but not until November 14.  So will Verizon be the first to get the Tab out there, or T-Mobile? Guess we’ll have to wait and see when November 1 hits.

[via DroidLife and Boy Genius]

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Instant Heart Rate app uses camera to get your pulse

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 06:15 AM PDT

If you have to keep an eye on your heart rate due to a medical condition or if you are trying to get fit and need to track heart rate, a new app for Android will do it for you. The app is called Instant Heart Rate and uses the camera on your device to get your pulse rate.

The user places their finger over the camera and to use it the person simply places the finger on the camera and trys to keep a red circle lit up. After a bit, the heart rate will be displayed on the screen.

The app supposedly works by measuring the color of your blood, which honestly seems a bit farfetched unless the camera is capable of peering through skin. The app is about two bucks and you can try it if you want. Or you could just place a couple fingers on your wrist and count it’s up to you.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Best Buy eyeing its Own Android App Store?

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 06:03 AM PDT

I mentoring last week that Amazon was set to launch its own Android app store before long. Apparently, Amazon isn't the only company that is looking to get into the Android apps market with a new rumor floating around that has an electronics retail giant looking to get in on the action.

According to the rumor, Best Buy is mulling over launching its own Android app store. The report surfaced first with the Wall Street Journal and came from the CEO of Best Buy mentioning that he would consider building his own android app store.

Best Buy CTO Robert Stephens later said that the concept was in a very early stage and the retail giant had no plans set in stone. With Amazon stepping into the Android app market, we can expect to see many similar offerings pop up.

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AppBrain now filters Adobe Air apps

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 05:56 AM PDT

If you downloaded Adobe Air when it launched last week and have been wondering what to do with it, AppBrain makes it easy to find new apps that use Air. AppBrain has a new filter that will sort by apps that use Air.

Apparently, there are still not all that many apps around that use Air and the ones that are tend to be a bit strange. A strange example is the Jell-O bounce app that has a Bill Cosby bobble head. I really don’t get that app at all.

Still AppBrain has some really cool other features too like the ability to send links and wallpaper to your phone among others. Overall AppBrain is cool and worth the download for many Android users.

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Pocketbook 701 tablet/ereader clears FCC; Froyo in December

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 03:23 AM PDT

Pocketbook’s 701 Android tablet/ereader has cleared the FCC, and now the company has shared a few details on what differentiates it from the Pandigital Novel.  According to a Russian spokesperson for Pocketbook, the PB701 will be open to installing third-party apps (there’s a suggestion of Android Market support, but that could be poorly translated) and will run Android 2.0 at launch with a 2.2 Froyo update pencilled in for December 2010.

Meanwhile there’s also video and audio support, unlike on the Pandigital Novel.  Most significantly, however, Pocketbook says that the software has been updated for the IQ, which should hopefully address some of the usability issues that plagued the early Novel units.

[via The Digital Reader]

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Notion Ink reinvent multitasking with dual-mode Eden

Posted: 11 Oct 2010 01:47 AM PDT

Notion Ink has been promising us an interesting reintepretation of multitasking on their Adam Android slate, and now they’ve given a few more details on how that will work.  Eden is the company’s dual-mode interface: it has a Full mode, where apps occupy the whole screen as normal, and a Light mode, where the slate automatically controls how much memory and CPU is available to each app, what processes are called and how often refreshes take place, and more.

In Light mode, the display is split into three panels which can be flipped around and swapped with an “infinite” number of others waiting in sleep mode behind.  These panels can be a regular-resolution Android Market app or one of Notion Ink’s own apps, and individual titles can spawn multiple panels.  Like in iOS, various key components (features, data-base, networking components, UI elements) are kept running in Light mode so that apps can continue to communicate and offer pared down functionality.

[via SlashGear]

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Android Community Week In Review – Week 40 2010

Posted: 10 Oct 2010 01:49 PM PDT

This has been another busy week for the Android platform. With CTIA happening, the G2 finally releasing to the public, and many new announcements regarding hardware that will be running Android, Android Community has sure been busy this 40th week of 2010.

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The first big set of announcements this week happened at Sprint's press conference at CTIA. First introducing a new, package based, way to completely customize your phone, Sprint ID looks like a great way for users and companies alike to be able to further customize their homescreens. On top of the Sprint ID announcements, Sprint announced not one – but three new handsets set to release this year. A 2.1 running slider named the Samsung Transform, a 2.2 budget Android phone priced under $50 named the LG Optimus, and the new ultra-stylish Sanyo Zio. All phones are set to launch within the coming months.

The G2 was officially released to the public, even though it's official release day was altered to accompany early release. The initial impressions of the device have been solid so far even with some handsets not being built to the optimal quality. It's also making headlines within the rooting community. It had been found that the G2 has a hardware chip that will resort back to default software upon reboot if it notices anything not right. This includes rooting and although angered, the rooting community is working on a permanent root for the device.


Another phone announced this year at CTIA was the T-Mobile myTouch. The new ultra-stylish 4G based handset will be shipping with T-Mobile TV – which gives access to many networks directly on the device. With an expected release date of later this year, the T-Mobile myTouch HD will definitely be one of the best Android equipped handsets on the market.

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