Sunday 12 December 2010

Android Community

Android Community


Android Community Week in Review – Week 49 2010

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 10:51 AM PST

It has been the official week of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Earlier this week we not only saw the official announcement of Gingerbread, we learned about the device we have heard so much about, the Nexus S. Many manufacturers are getting ready for 2011, bringing in many impressive ultra-powerful smartphones that will all run the newly announced software.

Nexus S:

We went hands-on with Google’s latest offering and we found the device to be greatly impressive. Android 2.3 Gingerbread was highly refined and a much needed improvement over the aging 2.2 Froyo, and we feel that the Nexus S, even with its shortcomings, is an improvement over the Nexus One – evolutionary, not revolutionary.

Other Gingerbread news:

Android 2.3 SDK Officially Released
Google Nexus S Gets Official: NFC, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and More

Software Updates:
Droid X Update Available Now 2.2.1 (Blur 2.3.340)
Froyo now available for Vibrant on Bell, Virgin Mobile and SaskTel
Dell confirms AT&T-locked Streak Froyo update in Jan 2011
LG Optimus One Series Will Receive Android 2.3
HTC Legend Update to Android 2.2 Now Live Across Europe
Galaxy S will get Android 2.3 Gingerbread confirms Samsung India
Google Voice, Voice Search, and YouTube receive minor updates
Android 2.2 Update for HTC Legend Coming December 9th
Android 2.3 Gingerbread Update Confirmed by HTC (sort of)

This week also was a big one for Android tablets. We saw the Notion Ink go available for pre-orders on December 9th with a starting price of $375.33, and found out that the pre-orders will start shipping January 6th. We also saw a first official glimpse of Motorola’s Honeycomb slate, the Everest.

The week wrapped up with some data proving Android’s cannibalization of BlackBerry on Verizon’s network. With Android 2.3′s release, the Nexus S, LG Star and Motorola’s ultra powerful smartphone set for 2011, we can definitely expect to see rapid growth of the Android platform.

)


Maps 5.0 on the Nexus S Demoed by Google

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 10:17 AM PST

Google has just posted a walkthrough of the new Maps 5.0 running on the Nexus S to its official YouTube page. The video gives a 2:30 minute look at the new Google Maps including the full 3D maps that it offers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[Via YouTube]

)


Huawei S7 with Capacitive Touch Display coming soon?

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 09:52 AM PST

The Huawei S7 is an Android tablet that is pretty impressive specs wise, boasting a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and is fully connected with 3G and WiFi. However, it uses a resistive display which is better suited for use with a stylus vs using your finger. It now seems as if Huawei is preparing to launch a new S7, this time with a capacitive touch panel.

A few new videos have popped up that show the new model preforming multitouch gestures. The videos include a promotional and a hands-on video with the new tablet that are showing off the multitouch of the device. Although the multitouch doesn’t look fully implemented, or even ready for release, this confirms that they are at least working on a capacitive touch version of the S7.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

No word yet on an expected date of availability or price, but we can assume it will launch sometime next year with a cost a bit higher than the current generation S7.

[Via liliputing] )


Unofficial Gingerbread Port for Droid X Available Now

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 09:36 AM PST

So Gingerbread has been announced and, as expected, we have not heard any dates for our current devices to be getting the update. We know that we won’t see them for quite some time after the Nexus S launch, but many are eager to get the much anticipated Gingerbread OS on their devices.


You no longer have to wait. For users with a DROID X with root access and have experience with the rooting process, including flashing ROM’s, you can get the unofficial Gingerbread port for your device right now.

Installation Instructions:

Note:Uninstall updates to Market, Google Voice Search, Google Search Bar, and Gmail if they're there under Settings->Applications->Manage Applications first (1.2.1 upgraders only)

  • Place file on your sdcard. Bootstrap recovery and reboot recovery
  • Navigate to mounts and storage. FORMAT data, and cache
  • Return to previous menu and install .zip from sd card
  • Choose ApeX and install!

Another option for installation would be to place the above file on your SD Card, install the ROM from ROM Manager, wipe your data and cache.

NOTE: It is highly advised that you know what you are doing before you attempt this process. Motorola phones are some of the easiest to brick and, if done wrong, you will end up with a broken device.

[Via TheDroidGuy]

)


LG Star Unofficially Previewed

Posted: 12 Dec 2010 09:23 AM PST

The LG Star is shaping up to be one of the most impressive devices of early 2011. Although, LG isn’t exactly known for their powerful devices, especially Android-based, the LG Star will hopefully mark their venture into the powerful smartphone marker. One of the test units has found its way into the hands of the Engadget staff and they gave us all a quick preview of the device.

The design is the same one that we have seen leaked onto the internet the last couple of weeks; sleek design with touch navigation buttons at the bottom of the device. Looking incredibly similar to the DROID Incredible, a slight difference between the two devices is the Star’s larger 4-inch screen, it definitely looks the part of an ultra-powerful smartphone.

The screen is said to look “rather gorgeous.” judging from its imperfect blacks, we can tell that it’s not a AMOLED display, however, the quality of this LCD display is very enviable.

The software running on this test device is a bit buggy. The Star is running LG’s slightly tweaked Android 2.2 at the moment, but we can definitely hope that it will include 2.3 before its launch next year.

In conclusion, the device has been said to be very fast. Definitely faster than any current generation hardware, and that’s running with a bug-infested version of Android 2.2. No telling how fast this device will be with Gingerbread, but we can expect the LG Star to be one of the most impressive devices of early 2011.

[Via Engadget]

)


Huawei Australia Unveils IDEOS X5, X6 Android Smartphones

Posted: 11 Dec 2010 01:39 PM PST

Check it out, a couple new phones for the Australian Market – both of them from Huawei, both of them Running Android 2.2 Froyo. They’re the IDEOS X5 and X6, both of them with timing and pricing yet to be revealed. Each one is a teensy tiny bit different from the other.

The X5 has a 3.8-inch touch screen with a 1GHz processor, a 5 megapixel camera, support for Wifi via 802.11b/g/n, and 14.4Mbps HSPA. On the other hand is the larger X6 that’s got a giant 4.1-inch screen, Dolby Mobile surround sound, and HD video recording and playback with a lovely HDMI output.

[Via Android Guys]

)


No comments:

Post a Comment