Android Community |
- Free Android Phones at RadioShack
- Technicolor Tablet Finds Its Way Through FCC
- Verizon Says No Recall on Droid 2 Global and Moto Droid Pro
- Official PlayStation App Coming to Android (and iOS)
- Nexus S Review
- Google Maps 5 Available Now in the Market [Updated with Video]
- fring Sees Staggering Revenue from fringOut
- Ninja Nexus S unboxing is perhaps best ever
- Nexus S goes on sale – Who’s buying?
- Dell Venue official in Korea: Android 2.2 and curved glass AMOLED
- Google App Inventor now open for all
- LG’s Tegra 2 Optimus 2X official: due from Jan 2011
- Android Community Daily Wrap Up: December 15th 2010
- Android Community Google Cr-48 Giveaway REMINDER
- Posterous Micro Blogging Service Introduces Android App
- HTC Scorpion Appears on GameLoft’s Compatible Device List
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread to Appear in AOSP After Nexus S Day
- iLuv Introduces Samsung Galaxy Tab Accessories
| Free Android Phones at RadioShack Posted: 16 Dec 2010 10:44 AM PST Starting today (December 16th) and running right through December 24th, RadioShack has a trio of Android phones for free. First there’s the T-Mobile LG Optimus T: free with qualifying new or upgrade to 2-year agreement plus $10/mo. + Android feature. Then there’s the Sprint Sanyo Zio: free with new or upgrade to 2-year agreement with an Everything plan and data. Finally, the AT&T Motorola Flipside: free with new or upgrade to 2-year agreement and $25/mo. data feature. Plus more!
RadioShack is throwing in a free Plantronics Explorer 240 Bluetooth Headset with each purchase. Sound like a good deal to you? Take a walk down to RadioShack today! )
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| Technicolor Tablet Finds Its Way Through FCC Posted: 16 Dec 2010 10:35 AM PST Just yesterday this Technicolor tablet, the TVA200 was at the FCC, there to get its Wifi (n) approved. The screen on this device is around 7″ with 800×480, it has a Freescale ARM Cortex A8 800MHz, USB host, SD card slot, speakers, camera, and a microphone. Guesses seem to be all on this device running Android, but no confirmation yet. It comes with its own docking station as well.
The buttons below the screen seem to match up with Android, and heck, what else would it be? Take a peek at this device over at the FCC and see for yourself: [FCC] [Via The Digital Reader] )
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| Verizon Says No Recall on Droid 2 Global and Moto Droid Pro Posted: 16 Dec 2010 10:27 AM PST Reports have it that Best Buy Stores have taken stock of Motorola Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global of the shelves due to a product recall, but Verizon says that’s simply not true. Spokesperson Brenda Raney of Verizon says the following: “We can't speak for Best Buy — but both the Droid Pro or the Droid 2 Global are popular sellers. How they manage their inventory is their business but there are no recalls on those devices.”
Several Best Buy locations have indeed been reported to have taken the phones from the shelves today, but the true reason remains unknown. These phones appear to still be on the shelves at all other stores and locations. [Via PhoneScoop] )
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| Official PlayStation App Coming to Android (and iOS) Posted: 16 Dec 2010 10:16 AM PST PlayStation’s official blog has announced today that they’ll be releasing an official PlayStation application for both Android handsets (with a minimum of Android 1.6) and iOS with version 4 and above.) In this first version of the app you’ll be able to check out for PlayStation Network trophies, keep up with your friends games and online statuses, browse the whole PlayStation 3, PSP, and PlayStation 2 catalog and news, read all sorts of announcements from the European PlayStation Blog, and share products and news bits you find interesting with friends through Facebook, Twitter, and email.
This first version will be available only in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and The Netherlands. PlayStation says they’re already working on the next version that’ll support most SCEE countries and languages and will also allow you to comment on PlayStation’s Euro blog. This app will be coming out within the next few months, with more details and features being announced as the day gets closer. And it’ll be FREE. [Via PlayStation Blog] )
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| Posted: 16 Dec 2010 10:07 AM PST Freshly on sale in the US today, and headed to the UK next week, the Nexus S is Google’s second attempt to guide the Android ecosystem with a hardware reference design. Made by Samsung, rather than the HTC origins of the Nexus One, the smartphone arguably has a more difficult task ahead: the complaint today is one of OS fragmentation, not merely lagging performance. Can the Nexus S set Android manufacturers back on track? Check out our full review to find out.
HardwareIf you’ve used a Galaxy S, the Nexus S won’t feel all that foreign. The Samsung-made handset has a plastic body, unlike the metal of the Nexus One, and though it feels suitably tough it’s not as reassuring in the hand as its predecessor. It does make for a lightweight phone, however, and given the front is taken up with the considerable charms of a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, it’s quite an appealing slice altogether. Samsung’s screen technology remains the best mobile panel this side of Apple’s Retina Display, bright, clear and beautifully color-saturated. The display has a slight curve to it, in a move Samsung has branded “Contour”; the company argues that makes the Nexus S easier to use with a single hand, as well as more comfortable over time. In practice, it’s perhaps too early to tell: the curve is too shallow to make an instantly noticeable difference, though it does at least keep the fascia of the Nexus S off the desk when placed face-down.
Controls are minimal – the usual four touch-sensitive keys under the display, then a volume rocker and power button on the edges – and the ports have been moved to the bottom of the handset: Samsung offers microUSB for charge/sync and a 3.5mm headphones jack. Wireless connectivity includes quadband GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA for T-Mobile USA or the gamut of European and Asian 3G bands; if you want AT&T 3G, you’re out of luck. Otherwise there’s WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 – though not, as with the Galaxy S, Bluetooth 3.0 – along with Bluetooth, GPS, a digital compass and accelerometer. GPS performance has been a mixed bag. The Nexus S is happily free from the glaring positioning issues that initially affected the Galaxy S range, but it does sometimes show reluctance to accept it has achieved a GPS lock. On occasions, we found Google Maps would be able to follow our position as we moved around, but Navigation refused to calculate directions claiming it was yet to get a positioning fix. The Nexus S also debuts NFC or Near-Field Communications on an Android device, and in fact the short-range wireless technology is one of the Google phone’s flagship features. Google envisages a world where Android users can scan businesses, products and each other with their handsets and pull up information from those NFC tags, as well as making payments and exchanging data. In its first incarnation, NFC on the Nexus S is a little more mundane: limited to reading tags, rather than writing to them or making data exchanges, it will primarily work with the Google Places Business Kits the search giant is trialling, offering business reviews and information if you scan a NFC sticker they’ve put up near their door. The results show up in the new Tags app. SoftwareStar of the show is Android 2.3 Gingerbread, making its first debut on a mobile device and doing so free of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI or any other manufacturer-specific tweaks. This is Android as Google intends it, and it’s the most solid implementation to date.
Most obviously changed is the color scheme, with the greys, graduations and brighter colors of Froyo and earlier versions replaced with blacks and chips of lime green. Google says this isn’t solely an aesthetic refresh but one that aids battery life; AMOLED displays, for instance, require less power to show black than they do colors. There are also new animations, such as the retro CRT TV shut down when you lock the phone, and a subtle orange flare when you reach the end of lists. Text entry has also had a rethink, with a new onscreen keyboard layout that trades slightly smaller keys for multitouch support. It’s an exchange we’re happy to make, though, since you can now hold down the shift or symbol keys with one finger and tap out letters and numbers with the other. Even after just a week of use, we’re faster than we are with the Froyo keyboard. Once you’ve entered text, there are new ways to manage it as well. Tapping and holding a word selects it, and then you have easily-dragged highlight bars to select different sections. Where the new system falls short is in older apps, which are seemingly yet to be brought up to speed; on several occasions we’ve had to double-tap to select still, which leaves the OS feeling inconsistent. It’s certainly not a deal-breaker, but it’s an example of where, say, Apple’s stricter controls in iOS pay dividends for predictable user-experience. Flash Player 10.1 was not pre-installed out of the box, but it works well once downloaded from the Android Market. Videos run smoothly, more so than on a Hummingbird-powered Galaxy S family device. Unfortunately the new version of Google Maps, complete with 3D city renders and new multitouch gestures, isn’t ready in time for the Nexus S’ release, so we’ll have to wait and see how that performs. PerformanceSamsung’s 1GHz Hummingbird processor isn’t new; it’s the same chip at the heart of the well-received Galaxy S range of smartphones, together with the Samsung Galaxy Tab slate. What remains to be seen is how the performance of the Nexus S holds up to the various dual-core Android smartphones we’re expecting to see reach the market in 2011. LG’s Optimus 2X, for instance, will offer NVIDIA’s dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 chipset, and it’s not going to be the only one; while the Nexus One pushed the performance envelope considerably, the Nexus S feels like it’s at the tail-end of a hardware phase. That’s not to say the Nexus S is slow. Android 2.3 Gingerbread whips along nicely, and while on paper we’d like to see more RAM than the 512MB Samsung has installed, at no point has the phone felt sluggish or short on memory. Apps and Live Wallpapers are handled with no issues, and there’s a healthy 1GB of storage for your programs; the 16GB of user memory is treated as a memory card – albeit a particularly fast one – and you can do the usual trick of shifting apps to that storage if the software supports it. As a phone, T-Mobile’s network proved solid and audio performance is among the best we’ve encountered on a recent Android device. Callers reported no issues with voice quality, and similarly both the earpiece and the speaker were similarly loud and clear. The front-facing camera handles video calls well – though VGA stills are murky and uninspiring – though Google’s failure to include native video chat functionality in Gingerbread is a significant shortcoming in comparison to Apple’s FaceTime. The main camera is more successful, producing stills that are better in most cases than those from the Galaxy S range. Colors are rich and there’s decent contrast in natural daylight; more impressively, we didn’t have to reach for the LED flash quite as often as normal in low-light or indoor conditions. Conversely, video recording is underwhelming, limited to 720 x 480 resolution rather than 720p HD. There’s also no HDMI port for hooking up your HDTV, nor DLNA wireless streaming. We seldom use either of those features ourselves, but on a flagship device their omission is annoying.
Battery life exceeded our expectations, with the Nexus S readily capable of putting in a full day’s worth of use despite having push email turned on and our regular use of the browser and messaging features. Gingerbread gets a new battery display system, too: the bars showing each element of the phone’s power consumption are still there, but there’s also a graph tracking power use over time. Wrap-UpGingerbread is undoubtedly the star of the show here, and that leaves the Nexus S in a potentially difficult position. Unlike the Nexus One, which had a window during which its specifications remained superlative before other devices caught up, beyond the NFC chip there’s arguably nothing special about the Nexus S’ hardware. That means, once Android 2.3 hits the Nexus One, the Galaxy S and other Android phones, the Nexus S will have lost much of its unique appeal. That’s not to say it’s a bad device, and in fact it’s arguably the best Android smartphone on the market today (as long as you don’t want a hardware keyboard). There’s also the reassurance that Nexus S owners will likely see the first software updates for future iterations of Android, unlike manufacturer-modified versions. Hopefully the increasingly solid user-experience of out-of-the-box Android will be enough to convince other companies to put aside their adaptations, but given how much those changes – like HTC Sense and TouchWiz – are used to differentiate ostensibly similar hardware, we’re not especially hopeful that this something Google will be able to easily sway. More promising is NFC, though at the moment its a hardware and software combination still in search of real functionality. By the time it gathers momentum, we’re expecting plenty more Android devices to include the short-range wireless chips; that’s good for Google overall, but claws away at more of the Nexus S’ unique offering. Still, as with the Nexus One, this new Google phone isn’t really the search giant’s attempt to corner the smartphone hardware market. Instead, it’s an expensive play to guide the development of Android handsets altogether – a marketing strategy for where the open-source “use it how you wish” Android ethos falls short of convincing manufacturing partners what it is that customers will want and, undoubtedly, be persuaded by Google that they want in a new handset. If you’re in the market for a new Android device then the Nexus S is the best around at the moment. Its window to shine will likely be short-lived, however, as dual-core Android handsets reach the market early in the new year. Critics may eventually suggest that the Nexus S missed the mark, but as long as it puts NFC on the radar, we’ve a feeling Google will consider it a success. Unboxing Video and Gallery        )
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| Google Maps 5 Available Now in the Market [Updated with Video] Posted: 16 Dec 2010 09:38 AM PST We had already seen it shown off at LeWeb 2010, and then again by Google, but all that did was make us want it more. Finally, Google has officially released the latest, and truthfully greatest, version of Google Maps for the Android platform. You can download it right now in the Market, as long as you have an Android powered handset that’s running Android 2.0 or later. Just in time for that Nexus S launch, right?
As we’ve said in the past, the feature set for Google Maps v5 is pretty robust. However, the main takeaways are the inclusion of 3D mapping, as well as the ability to have offline navigation for a few moments. That last bit doesn’t mean you can use Google Maps if you’re not connected to a data connection. It just means that, thanks to advanced caching, you’ll be able to keep navigating for a short time if you do happen to lose your data connection briefly. Scan the QR code below if you want, or you can find the application in the Market. Let us know what you think! Hands-On with Google Maps 5:
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| fring Sees Staggering Revenue from fringOut Posted: 16 Dec 2010 08:15 AM PST Two months ago, Fring decided to give something back to its users. While it is already used as one of the premiere applications for video calling on the Android platform, they decided to make it possible for users to make outbound calls at a dirt cheap price. Since they released fringOut two months ago, it looks like the company has made quite a big impact within the Android Market, and seen some great revenue from it.
They’ve let us know that, with fringOut and their 1 cent per minute calls to landlines and other mobile phones, they’ve seen a reported $10,000 per day revenue. That’s a big step for an application. Especially in, much like any other digital marketplace, it’s mostly games, or other entertainment pieces, that see the most revenue brought in. We’ll have to see if fring has anything in store for their users, seeing as their last venture worked out so well for them. [thanks, Fring!] )
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| Ninja Nexus S unboxing is perhaps best ever Posted: 16 Dec 2010 07:03 AM PST As unboxings go, you can either have our Nexus S unpackaging, or you can have ninjas. Arguably there’s no contest, so head on over to http://www.youtube.com/ninjaunboxing2 to see a trio of stop-motion desktop martial arts experts fight over Google’s latest.
You can enjoy the ninja-based fun at http://www.youtube.com/ninjaunboxing2, and don’t forget to have a good swing of the nunchucks left near the bottom of the screen after the animation is finished. )
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| Nexus S goes on sale – Who’s buying? Posted: 16 Dec 2010 05:01 AM PST Google’s Nexus S has gone on sale in Best Buy stores in the US this morning, with east coast locations just opening now at the earlier-than-normal time of 8am. The Samsung-made smartphone – currently the only official way to get your hands on Android 2.3 Gingerbread – is priced at $529, or $199 with a two-year T-Mobile agreement (and qualifying voice and data plan).
Your money gets you Samsung’s 1GHz Hummingbird CPU, a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display and WiFi b/g/n, along with a 5-megapixel camera and front-facing video camera. More details in our unboxing and the full SlashGear review. So, who’s buying today? Nexus S unboxing:
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| Dell Venue official in Korea: Android 2.2 and curved glass AMOLED Posted: 16 Dec 2010 02:19 AM PST The promised Android version of the Dell Venue Pro has been made official in Korea, with carrier KT Telecom announcing that the Dell Venue will arrive sometime this month. Priced at 700,000 won ($608), the Dell Venue runs Android 2.2 and has a 4.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen.
It also lacks the slide-out QWERTY keyboard of the Windows Phone 7 powered Venue Pro, but you do get a curved Gorilla Glass toughened screen. No word on other specifications, though we’re guessing Dell will be a little more forthcoming now its first carrier partner has gone public.    [via SlashGear] )
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| Google App Inventor now open for all Posted: 16 Dec 2010 01:27 AM PST Google’s App Inventor has exited its closed-beta, meaning the drag & drop Android app creator tool is now open to anybody with a Google account. Announced back in July 2010, App Inventor requires no real programming knowledge, instead using preset functionality blocks that can be shuffled around to create software.
Despite that simple premise, the apps themselves can be just as complex as those coded from scratch; titles can be capable of GPS awareness, integration with the Android handset's phone functionality, internet connectivity and more. You can log in and try App Inventor here.
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| LG’s Tegra 2 Optimus 2X official: due from Jan 2011 Posted: 16 Dec 2010 01:08 AM PST The LG Optimus 2X has been made official, with LG promising that the Tegra 2 based Android smartphone will arrive in Korea come January 2011, and then ”countries in Europe and Asia to follow.” As well as NVIDIA’s dual-core 1GHz mobile CPU, the Optimus 2X has a 4-inch WVGA display, 8GB of onboard storage and an 8-megapixel camera on the back.
Up front there’s a 1.3-megapixel camera for stills and video calls, while an HDMI port allows you to hook the Optimus 2X up to your HDTV. Handy, considering NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 is capable of 1080p MPEG-4/H.264 playback and recording. One minor blip is that the LG Optimus 2X will run Android 2.2 Froyo at launch, with LG only promising a 2.3 Gingerbread update at some point in the near future. No word on pricing. Press Release:
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| Android Community Daily Wrap Up: December 15th 2010 Posted: 15 Dec 2010 11:39 PM PST It’s the 16th of December and as we near the holidays and the end of the year, news is somewhat slow, we expect this to fully change come January with CES 2011. Have you not entered our Google Cr-48 giveaway? You might want to get on that as, if you win, you’ll be one of the first to experience the Chrome OS on the Cr-48 before its launch. For the rest of the news covered here at Android Community, check below!  R3 Media Network AndroidCommunity O2 Dell Streak Froyo update releasing today
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| Android Community Google Cr-48 Giveaway REMINDER Posted: 15 Dec 2010 05:54 PM PST Incase you’re unaware, we’re running a contest to give away five Google Chrome OS Cr-48 notebooks and you’re invited to win! These notebooks aren’t going to hit the market until the middle of next year so this is your only way to grab a notebook for your own right this minute (other than the pilot testing program, of course.) But you just want one to chill and rock on, yes? Two Android Community members (and THREE over at SlashGear) are going to be able to win, the first drawing to be done on Friday December 17 at midnight PST!
To take part, all you have to do is sign up as an Android Community member and reply to this post saying why you want a Cr-48 notebook, then send out the following message via Twitter:
The first winner for Android Community will be picked at random on Friday December 17 at midnight PST, and the second on Sunday December 19 at midnight PST. Unfortunately, due to the terms of Google's pilot scheme, only US entrants can be accepted. Good luck! ALSO remember that if you don’t win the first time, you’ll still be eligible for the next! Rules: Competition is open to residents of the US over the age of 18. Family members of Google and SlashGear/Android Community are not permitted to enter. Competition entries are only accepted via the specified Android Community post; entries left in the comments section of any other post will not be recognized. One entry per person (and yes, we check). Winners of the Android Community Cr-48 giveaway are ineligible to win the SlashGear Cr-48 giveaway, and vice-versa. The winners will be announced on Android Community and contacted via email or board message; they will be expected to respond within 24 hours else their prize may be forfeit and another winner selected. Editors decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winner agrees that their name and details of their entry may be used for promotional purposes by, but not limited to, Google and Android Community. Prize consists of two Google Cr-48 notebooks to be shared between two winners. There is no cash alternative. Should this prize become unavailable, Android Community and Google reserve the right to substitute another prize of equal or greater value. )
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| Posterous Micro Blogging Service Introduces Android App Posted: 15 Dec 2010 12:18 PM PST If blogging is the “new thing,” then Tumblr and Posterous is the new blogging. Posterous is a micro-blogging service that allows users to post their thoughts in longer blurbs than twitter, but shorter than would appear on a full blog. Users of Posterous now can update their site with the newly announced Android app.  The application supports sharing links, photos, video, and even media from your gallery to share. Just type a blurb, attach an image or video, and hit post – it’s just that simple. Posterous for Android is available in the Android Market now. [Via Androinica] )
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| HTC Scorpion Appears on GameLoft’s Compatible Device List Posted: 15 Dec 2010 11:48 AM PST HTC hasn’t been in the headlines much since it’s announcement of the T-Mobile G2 a few months back. However, things might be changing as we are starting to see more of their unused codenames pop up in various places. The last appearance of such a name is the “HTC Scorpion” which was found under GameLoft’s compatible device list for Let’s Golf 2 HD.  If rumor is true, the device will feature a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and should be running the latest version of Android upon release. Hopefully this is just a glimpse into what we can expect to see from HTC come January at CES, who has been more than “quietly brilliant” over the past few months. [Via HDBlog.it] )
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| Android 2.3 Gingerbread to Appear in AOSP After Nexus S Day Posted: 15 Dec 2010 11:39 AM PST Hooray! Android developer Jean-Baptiste Queru’s Twitter account hath granted us all a lovely bit of news saying that Android 2.3 Gingerbread will soon be released to AOSP Android Open Source Project soon after Nexus S day (that day being December 15, tomorrow.) This means that ROMs are soon on the way via hackers of the world – get those rooted devices out and get pumped up for cookies.
Or, you know, feel free to wait like everyone else so fearful of blowing their phone up that the furthest they travel into its workings are to change the background image. You can just watch the videos until Gingerbread’s official on all the rest of the devices. Fun! [Via Twitter] )
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| iLuv Introduces Samsung Galaxy Tab Accessories Posted: 15 Dec 2010 11:38 AM PST So you’ve got yourself a new Samsung Galaxy Tab, now what? How do you keep it protected from the nicks and drops that it’s likely going to experience? iLuv has you covered with a just announced array of Galaxy Tab accessories.  iLuv is going to be releasing a series of cases and protective films for the 7-inch Tab, and they are set to be released by “late December.” You can check out their current offerings at their website. Press Release: “Luv, the premiere provider of the most comprehensive accessories line for the Apple and PC markets, announces the launch of a new product line for the Samsung GALAXY Tab. The products continue iLuv's commitment to rapidly deliver innovative, high quality mobile accessories that enhance consumer's lifestyle. The new lineup features cases and protective films for the GALAXY Tab. Additional product line extensions – such as docking stations, speakers, ear buds, and power – will debut in 2011. "The tablet market is exploding, with the Consumer Electronics Association anticipating tablet sales to double in 2011," said Pia Chon, iLuv marketing director. "iLuv is proud to meet this new demand with our stylish accessories line designed to complement and enhance the experience of the GALAXY Tab customers." The initial lineup of iLuv's GALAXY Tab cases and protective films include: • Flexi-Metallic Case (iSS801) – Sleek yet durable protection. MSRP $54.99 General availability will be by the end of December online at www.i-luv.com, and from leading retailers and cell phone carriers next year in North America, Europe and Austral-Asia. In 2011, iLuv will offer a comprehensive line of accessories for other Samsung mobile devices in addition to expanding its line of GALAXY Tab products.” )
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